Izra's Fall
by EnderFriend284
Summary: Izra thought things would be okay after he joined Zeren to help his friends, but fate seems to have plans for him. He is given a prophecy, and hoping to stop what he will bring, he sends it to the Realmkind. As time passes though, huge changes come to the realms and the ones who made them. Soon after, a second conflict begins. SOI/Yogscast origin story. Sequel to Ender's Journey.
1. The Dangers of Chaos Sand

**A/N: Hey, Ender here, and welcome to my new story. I will be updating it once a week on the weekend like I was doing before, and I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft**

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**Izra's POV**

Everything hurt. Even doing simple things like walking and stretching caused me immense pain. The sand was slowly taking over, and like so many things associated with Chaos magic, it was not an enjoyable process. Pulling myself shakily up off the floor and into a half siting position, I remembered back to the day that had put me into this situation. It hadn't been all that long ago, but the weight of what had happened in the time since made it seem like a long forgotten age. It had been when I was traveling with Ender, a part of her quest to overthrow Teloxen, but things hadn't gone exactly as planned. Notchie and Ender had ended up getting separated from everyone else and trapped in some deep section of the Crafter prison. To save them, I had cut a deal with Sallen, promising that I would do one thing for him in exchange for their safety. The memory of the day I had to make good on that deal was still vivid, every second of it etched permanently into my memory.

_**Flashback**_

I was sitting under a tree overlooking the prison, making sure to stay under the cover of the tall grass which obscured the gaze of anyone who would be looking up from there.

"I put your friends at the camp." I heard a voice say from the tree behind me. Startled, I looked up and saw the figure from before stretched out over several leaf blocks. "You better make good on your promise."

"I will." I assured him "What do I have to do?"

"Well its simple see," he said, jumping down and sitting next to me. As he talked, I wondered what I had gotten myself into.

Sallen gestured to a small bag he had placed in front of him. "All you have to do is stick your hand in this."

Hesitantly I reached over and grabbed the bag, opening it a bit so I could see what was inside. A single block of sand lay within, twisting gray patterns winding through the grains.

"What is this?" I gasped, its shifting pattern capturing the entirety of my focus.

"Chaos sand." said Sallen, glancing at it. "Just touch it."

I reached one hand into the bag, placing my palm just above the surface of the block. Closing my eyes, I jerked my arm downwards, bringing it into contact with the block. Sharp stabs of pain arced through my hand. Falling to my knees as I reeled in pain, I struggled to remove my hand from the block. As I moved though, the block moved with me, tendrils reaching out from it and winding around my wrist, snaking higher as I watched.

"There is no use in resisting." said Sallen "Chaos sand is not something that can be controlled by your kind. It has its own will and so only those who are true followers of Chaos have any influence over it. Even then though, it is still difficult to deal with. It you don't accept it though, it will be a much more painful process."

"But.. I can't!" I gasped, supporting myself on my one good arm, eyes locked on the sand as it climbed higher "I've got to protect my friends!"

"That's too bad." said Sallen "It would have sped up the process immensely. Now I've got to sit here and wait for it to overpower you."

While speaking in had lost track of how far the sand had progressed. Looking down, I saw that thin chains of sand had wound themselves around me. All at once, the chains tightened, driving the partials of sand deep into my skin. Screaming, I lost the strength in my arm that kept me up, dropping myself flat on the ground. This only served to drive many of the grains further into my skin. This increase in pain was too much for me. A wall of blackness engulfed me, bringing with it the bliss of unconsciousness.

When I awoke, the pain had lessened, replaced with a dull ache that pulsed through my body. Groaning, I rolled over onto my back. My eyes caught a glimpse of a blue-gray blur, and I stiffened, wondering if I was about to be attacked. After a moment of panic in which no attacked occurred, I finally got my eyes to focus enough to identify the shape. The blur resolved itself into the figure of Sallen, standing a little ways off, leaning against a tree.

"You!" I hissed. Sallen glanced over, pursing his lips in amusement.

"Yes me." he said "What of it?"

"You did this to me!" I hissed.

"You brought this upon yourself." said Sallen, walking a few steps closer "All I did was give you a choice, and in all fairness, I was just going to have you do something really stupid, like try to catch fish with your toes or something. But when Zeren found out, it was either this happens to you or I get locked up in some nasty dungeon. So if you want to blame someone, blame him."

"I don't care why it happened!" I screeched "Someone needs to be punished for it now, and you are the only one convenient."

"I didn't think it would work it this fast." said Sallen, his face showing surprise and alight concern.

"What do you mean?" I asked, taken aback by his response.

"The sand," he said "It gives powers, but it also causes personality shifts. It is an entity in itself, so you could say that it boosts a negative trait associated with Chaos kind. In your case, it seems like it is affecting your aggression, unless you would normally try to obliterate someone with a power much stronger than yours?"

"Maybe you are right." I sighed. Struggling to sit up, I noticed a faint stain of blood around me, as well as gray tinged scars that snaked across my arms and continued across my body.

"What happened?" I asked, my eyes tracing the scars, the twisting lines mimicking those that had appeared on the sand block.

Sallen bit his lip and said "The sand, um, well how much do you remember?"

"The sand had wrapped around me and started digging into my skin." I said "Tell me what happened after that."

"Well the sand forced itself into you," said Sallen "Presumably into your bloodstream. And its not like I could just leave you here to bleed to death, because if you lived then I would be hunted down." Sallen seemed to calm slightly as he focused on relaying facts rather than the emotion of the situation. "So I healed your injuries, and trust me, it was not easy. You were flailing about, and I got all scratched up trying to help." When he said this, I noticed that he has several long scratches on each arm, fresh enough that scabs were only now beginning to form.

"What am I going to do?" I whispered, placing my hands over my face. "I can't go back to the others like this." I heard a strange noise, and when I looked up, I saw Sallen brushing away a tear.

"What's wrong?" I asked, suddenly concerned as to what could make a chaos lord cry.

"Its nothing" murmured Sallen "Just not great with emotions. As for what you are going to do, I do have a way to help you, but you would have to trust me."

"What do I have to do?" I asked hesitantly, remembering how the last time I had asked that had turned out."

"Just eat this." said Sallen, holding out a small piece of bread. "Its enchanted, and it will put up an illusion spell on you to cover up your scars. It should go unnoticed, but have some kind of excuse just in case."

"Why should I trust you?" I asked, eying the item warily. "You could have poisoned it or something.

"Yes" sighed Sallen "I went through all of the trouble of saving you just so I could poison you. Are all lords really this dense?"

After that I had taken the bread without question, knowing though that it would not last forever and I would be indebted to Sallen. It hadn't mattered. All that had mattered was staying with my friends to make sure that they were okay. A decision which almost cost a friend her life.

_**End Flashback**_

Pulling myself back into the present, I pushed my palms against my eyes in a vain attempt to stem the flow of tears. The memory of what had happened in the Aether still brought tears to my eyes, even now, many months after it had happened. I had lost control there. The sand had taken over and I had nearly killed Ender. If Notchie had not known how to counteract the poison, her fate would have been much different.

After that night, the nightmares came. Present every night, yet their contents shifted. Realms burned, lords fell, wars raged. Then the worst night. The night of prophecy. A dream I had told to only one lord, and even then not in its entirety. The dream which had shown me the prophecy of the sands. Closing my eyes, I could practically see the words, that's how vividly they stood out in my mind.

_When fallen lord is given power,_

_The world prepares for it's darkest hour._

_Chaos' sand rules the lord's mind,_

_Presenting new goals for him to find._

_The land does fall to storms of sand,_

_Yet some do live to make a stand._

_Into another world the lord is cast,_

_All do hope the danger is past._

_A second war does bring his rise,_

_And new quests lead to new allies._

_Space and earth together quest,_

_Together facing every test._

_Realmkind watch and Realmkind fear,_

_Forbidden to help when danger's near._

_One lord per realm does break the rule,_

_In secret they help them keep their cool._

_When final fight does come one day,_

_To bring him down there's but one way._

_If to save a friend lord you do desire,_

_It must be done with the power of fire._

_Lords shall change and realms shall bend,_

_Those called enemies now called friend._

_And with the fall of sand a new order shall rise,_

_One which shall hasten chaos' demise._

_But listen well to all who hear,_

_Many wish to kill all things they fear._

_Yet balance is required in every place,_

_And those who lack shall find defeat in whatever they face._

The prophecy that spelled out my fate, that told the terrors I would do. And judging from the progress of the sand, it would not be far off. Every time I used my powers, the consequences were worse. I would pass out randomly, falling into a restless sleep, only to be awoken by terrible pain. The night I received the prophecy was the night I finally accepted Sallen's offer. An alliance to take down Zeren when he deemed the time was right. I wanted to ensure I was able to accept as myself. For when the sand took hold, it was Israphel who was present, not me. And I wanted to make Zeren pay for what he had forced upon me. For forcing me to attack my friends and ultimately into this situation in the first place. But most of all, the alliance gave me some time, not matter how short , to try to protect my friends before the sand took permanent control.

The sound of the door opening caused me to look up, revealing Teloxen silhouetted in the doorway, the light of the hallway pouring into my darkened room. Teloxen had been allowed out of the prison a few days after Zeren had disowned him, but the experience had broken him partially, and even after this time his shattered heart was just starting repair. His wings had finally been cleared of the infections that had plagued him since Zeren had mangled them, thanks to constant tending by Sallen. No one ever dared to say it, but we all knew that if Zeren ever found out, the same thing that had happened to Teloxen would probably happen to Sallen. Both Rayko and Teloxen had reluctantly accepted membership to our alliance for protection. I hoped these extra members would give our alliance a better chance of success when Sallen determined it was time to act.

"Are you okay?" Teloxen asked, helping me to my feet.

"As well as you can expect" I sighed "What did you need?"

"Sallen asked us if we could meet him in his lab" said Teloxen "Don't know why though."

"Might as well go now" I sighed, heading to the doorway "It's not like I've got better things to do."

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**A/N: I hope that you guys enjoyed this first chapter. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated and I read them all. Also, you should all go check out the Yogscast's new song "Moon Quest: The Epic Journey". Even if you don't watch their series' it is an inspirational stand alone song. If you have any questions for the characters, they can be left in a review or PM'ed to me. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	2. The Banished Lord

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. No reviews this week, but its only the second chapter, so we still have time. This chapter is longer than most of my usual chapters, thanks to the fact I finally had a homework free weekend. On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft.**

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**Izra's POV**

"So why are we here?" asked Rayko, leaning against the wall of Sallen's lab, the red coloring of his robe accents and some of his feathers having a sharp contrast to to the blue color that filled most of the room.

"Not sure." said Teloxen shrugging "Sallen just told me to get you guys so we could meet here."

We stayed in Sallen's lab for a while longer, waiting for him to return from whatever task he was carrying out. The fluid filled tanks that lined one wall of the room made slight bubbling noises every so often, the only sounds to break the stillness that permeated the lab.

I had almost given up all effort to stay awake when the steady tromp of footsteps sounded outside. The lab doors swung open and Sallen walked in. The look he gave us told me in no uncertain terms that I needed to needed to stay quiet and try not to do anything noticeable right now. The reason for this was quickly apparent when the doors opened once more and Zeren walked in. Upon seeing him, Teloxen paled, taking small steps backwards until his back was flat against the wall, wings splayed to either side. After what Zeren had done, Teloxen had been terrified of what Zeren would do to him if he got near him again. Rayko glanced at Teloxen sympathetically. Soon after, a Wither skeleton emerged from a concealed entrance near where they stood. It quietly led Teloxen out of the room through the entrance it had come from, drawing only a slight approving glance from Sallen. Rayko and I usually shared the duty of making sure Teloxen stayed out of Zeren's way whenever he unexpectedly turned up with Sallen, which seemed to happen with an alarming frequency as of late.

"So why did you want to talk to us?" asked Sallen, his expression betraying nothing.

"It has come to my attention that the banished lord has arrived in the Overworld."

"What, you mean Mirexal?" asked Sallen.

"Don't say that name!" hissed Zeren "Never say that name. If any of you are to see that lord, it is your obligation to end him, for he is a traitor to the kind."

"Yeah, whatever." said Sallen as Zeren turned to leave.

"Oh, and Sallen?" said Zeren, turning slightly to look over his shoulder, eyes burning with warning "You would do well to choose more carefully the ones you choose to associate with. Don't think I haven't seen you associating with that traitorous servant."

"Who are you to control who I choose to ally myself with?" said Sallen, crossing his arms "You seem to forget that I am a powerful lord in my own right, not one of those lords who follow you without question like helpless sheep." These clashes between Zeren and Sallen seemed to occur on a regular basis, both trying to attain more power without disturbing the delicate balance that provided an uneasy peace for the Chaos kind.

"Just keep my words in mind." said Zeren, walking out.

As soon as Zeren left, Sallen dropped his air of calm. "Ugh, why is he such a massive pain?" groaned Sallen, placing his hands over his face, then looking towards the ceiling as his hands moved upwards in a questioning gesture.

"Um, Sallen, who exactly is that lord Zeren wanted us to look out for?" asked Rayko "I never heard about any lords who were actually been banished. You know, like actually kicked out, must kill on site kind of banished."

"Yeah, and there is a reason for that." sighed Sallen, twisting a lock of hair between his fingers "Zeren has forbidden everyone who knew of it to talk about it, and those who refused to keep quiet just disappeared."

"So what's the story then?" asked Rayko, eyes showing a deep curiosity.

"I just said it is forbidden to talk about, and now you want me to do so?" said Sallen raising an eyebrow.

"Uh, yeah, that would be awesome." said Rayko.

"Fine," sighed Sallen "But not here. I quite like my lab and I don't want to have to leave it forever."

"Where are you going to find somewhere Zeren won't have a chance of noticing?" I asked "Zeren seems to have a magical ability to always randomly walk in on us when anything is trying to be accomplished."

Sallen started chewing on the lock of hair he held, eyes staring off, lost in thought. "There is one place we could go." he said after a moment "I doubt Zeren would go there even if he knew we were."

"Really?" asked Rayko "There is somewhere that Zeren will not go? I really want to know about that. Where is it?"

"It has nothing to do with where it is." said Sallen "It has to do with what is located there. The ruins of my family's estate."

**Steve's POV**

The sun streaked through the forest canopy, sending mottled splashed of light flickering across my body as the leaves swayed in the faint breeze. As I walked, I allowed the calmness of the forest to flow over me, allowing myself to relax from the state of wariness I had adopted in order to deal with my siblings. Both Notch and Herobrine had been staying at my castle since the Chaos lord confrontation, Herobrine because his realm was occupied, and Notch because his magic was still not strong enough to properly manage a realm. Shadow and Jeb were doing their best to manage the realm until he was recovered sufficiently to do so himself.

Even though they had made up for what had happened between them before, Herobrine and Notch still had conflicting personalities that caused quite a bit of trouble when they clashed. And as always, I would end up caught in the crossfire between them. I had toughed it out until now, but another fight had broken out and I just had to get out. After recruiting Cresilia to referee my brothers, I made a break for the woods, hoping that the calm setting would help to release my stress.

Suddenly, I felt as though someone was watching me. Turning, I shifted my gaze across the tree branches, knowing that was the most likely place for a person to conceal themselves with little chance of being seen. Years of being pranked by Herobrine had made me more aware of the areas few people usually looked, and areas above a person's head were at the top of that list. Sure enough, I saw a man sitting in a tree a few blocks from where I stood.

"Oh good, someone to talk to." the man said, face lighting up as a huge smile crossed his features. "You would not believe how boring this place is. Hardly anyone comes by, and when they do they are so oblivious. Not one of them have noticed me. Except for you."

"So why have you camped out in in the forest anyway?" I asked.

"Oh yeah," he said "I heard from these two guys, E and Dark, that someone in this area had a connection to the Enderlords. I've been looking for someone for ages now who would help me get in touch with their head lord."

"What do you want with my brother?" I asked, growing wary of this unknown man.

"Oh, um, awkward." he said, blushing slightly "I'm sorry, can we start over?"

"Sure" I said, slightly taken aback by this response.

"So, uh, I'm Mirexal, and the reason I am looking for your brother is that I am an acquaintance of the lord he is spirit bonded to. So can you take me to him?"

"Sure." I said hesitantly "But if you try anything, I will not hesitate to take you out."

"Got it." he said.

"Be careful coming down." I said, noticing that he wore shorts and flip-flops, neither of which would protect him well from any bark scrapes."

"No worries." he said, jumping down from the tree. Inwardly I winced, preparing to witness a painful landing. Instead, two magenta and gray wings stretched about halfway open, slowing Mirexal's fall enough to to ensure a soft landing.

"You're a Chaos lord?" I asked, taking a step back.

"Didn't I tell you that?" asked Mirexal looking slightly confused "I'm sorry, I meant to."

"Why would I take a Chaos lord to see my brother?" I spat.

"Yeah, I've been told I don't explain things well." Mirexal admitted "So, um, yeah. I'm a Chaos lord, but uh, I kind of got kicked out for not listening to Zeren's silly rules. Those rules were really boring too, all about things you can't do and say."

"Fine." I grumbled "but you make one mistake, say one wrong thing, and I'll let Herobrine have you to test his dangerous pranks on."

"That's fine with me." he said, touching his fingers into a ring shape and holding them over his head. "See, I'll be a little angel."

**Izra's POV**

"What happened here?" I asked, staring at the ruins of what must have once been a magnificent estate.

"Chaos lord politics happened." said Sallen "Our household was becoming powerful, trading with others had widely increased our influence, and so we were viewed as a threat by the ruling family. That's why no one questioned it when reports came of our household staging an attack on the leaders. What few know is that there never was an attack. At least not one that was planed."

"What happened then?" asked Rayko "Something defiantly happened. I mean, almost two entire households were eliminated."

"Zeren happened." spat Sallen "He set it all up. He was impatience to wait to be willingly given power, so he decided to take it by force."

"What did he do?" I asked cautiously.

"He killed his father." said Sallen "That was bad enough, but he made it look like he had been killed by members of my household. Of course, we denied all accusations, but when he..." Sallen trailed off, taking a deep breath and wiping always half formed tears. "When he killed my mother, we would not stand for it. Deliberate provocation or not, my father was distraught by what had happened and launched an attack as retaliation. Looking back, perhaps if I had thought about the situation more rationally, I would have had been able to prevent the damage. If our house had not retaliated, they would have been hard pressed to to find a reason to hold the high lord's death against us."

"So what happened next?" asked Rayko breathlessly, caught up in the account of what had happened.

"What was bound to happen." sighed Sallen "Many members of both households died, and Zeren took the opportunity to rid himself permanently of those lords he believed to pose a threat to him. When it ended, he was pretty much the only member of his household still alive, save for a few low ranking lords. He had most of the members of my household that were captured executed, but to some he offered a choice. Join his household and live as a lord under him, or die. Now most of them chose to die, but I could not. See, Zeren had more influence over me because of Mirexal."

"Who exactly is Mirexal?" I asked.

"Mirexal was, is my little brother." said Sallen "And I had always promised my mother I would protect him. So Zeren made me an offer he knew I could not refuse. Either I join Zeren and he would banish Mirexal if he refused to join him, or I would die, but not before I saw Mirexal either join my enemy or die before me. And for all his skills, Zeren had far too many rules then for Mirexal to ever consent to his rule. So I only ever had one option."

"So Zeren banished Mirexal." I said "And you became head planner for your greatest enemy."

"Yes," said Sallen "It was the only was I could hope to give Mirexal a chance at freedom. After Mirexal was banished though, Zeren decreed that if he was ever seen again, all Chaos kind were ordered to kill him on site. Sometimes I still can't believe he would do all this to someone he once considered to be a friend."

"Mirexal and Zeren were friends?" asked Rayko "and he still did all that? But why?"

"Desire for power." said Sallen "It corrupted Zeren, changed him. Few remember how it was before, and for me it starts to sound more like a fairy tale every time I tell it."

"Please tell us what happened." said Teloxen, stepping out from behind an outcropping of rock. "Perhaps it will help to better understand the lord I formally knew as father."

"All right." sighed Sallen "Many, many years ago, there were two families. They got along well enough, and their youngest children became close friends. The child of one family was called Zeren and the child from the other was called Mirexal. One day, when they were playing in the walled courtyard that connected the dwellings of the two families, the children decided to climb the walls, to see how much further the world extended beyond what they knew. When they reached the top, top, all they could see was plains of grass extending out in all directions. Just on the edge of their sight, they saw a small figure moving through the grass. They really wanted to find out what was out there, but both families had been very clear. They were not to step foot outside the walls under any circumstances. So what did they do? They made dummies of dry grass, dressed them in their outer robes, and climbed out over the wall to see who or what was out there, leaving their watcher to get in trouble rather than them. And of course, that person was me, so rather than staying behind to get in trouble, I figured that if I went after them, I had a chance of keeping us all out of trouble. Anyway, I went off after them, but the grass was practically taller than they were, so it was quite difficult to tell where they were at any time. When I finally caught up with them, they had been joined by a third child. He was taller than Mirexal and Zeren by a few inches, and although he had wings like they did, his tail and antennae made it pretty clear that he was not a Chaos lord. Mirexal later told me that he was he was an Ender lord, and that his name was Illusion."

"Illusion like the Ender lord leader forever and ages Illusion?" asked Rayko, clearly surprised.

"Yes" said Sallen. Turning to me, he said "You might better know him as the lord Shadow is spirit bonded to."

"I though that was just part of the strange rumors Teloxen had started to to make people scared."

"Well that one is true" said Sallen.

"How did they get along if they were Chaos lords and he was an Ender lord?" asked Teloxen "Relations between the races were slightly better then" said Sallen "Trust was not exactly a common thing, but it was not the kill on site thing that we have today. And they were little anyway, so it probably would not have mattered one way or another to them. It was only after Zeren attacked the households that things really got dangerous."

"Why?" asked Rayko "Surely the Enderlords would be delighted that they had fewer opponents."

"And now we get to the real reason it is forbidden to talk about Mirexal." said Sallen "He refused to follow Zeren's rule, and so he was banished. At that point, there was really only one place he could go."

"Straight to Illusion's house." guessed Teloxen.

"Right" said Sallen "Illusion was outraged at what had happened, especially since until then they had been quite close friends. And so Zeren outlawed any mention of Mirexal, so that any suspicion regarding his own assertion of power would go unnoticed."

"So now Mirexal is back?" asked Rayko.

"Yes" said Sallen "and for this reason, I would steer clear of Zeren for a while."

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**A/N:I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. If so, consider leaving a review. You can also leave any questions for the characters in a review or PM them to me. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	3. To the End

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I would like to thank GtoCrafting95 for reviewing this week. On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft**

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**Steve's POV**

"Are we there now?" groaned Mirexal, trudging through the swamp muck "This is boring and it smells nasty here."

Inwardly I felt a bit bad for Mirexal. He wasn't exactly dressed for travel of any kind. At least my attire kept me from having swamp sludge all over my feet. Mirexal was not faring so well. His flip-flops kept out none of the mud, and what's more, they kept snagging on bits of debris under the murky water, sending him splashing to the ground every so often.

"You know, you could make this whole lot easier on yourself by flying." I said "I won't think its some kind of covert trick."

"But that would be rude!" said Mirexal "Big Brother says that doing something in front of someone who can't is showing off and rude!"

"To be honest I could care less right now." I said "This would go a lot faster if we didn't have to stop every five minutes because you are picking yourself up out of the mud."

"Well I guess if you think its okay." said Mirexal, flicking drops of mud off his wings before stretching them to take flight. I appreciated the fact that he at least thought to stay relatively close to me, allowing me to track him by sight rather than any boosted senses. While I probably could sense him if I really tried, I might end up passing out. It was one of the things that I had never really gotten the hang of, like many of the other magic things that my brothers had tried to teach me over the years. The new redstone machines Shadow had introduced me to were something I was much better at.

"Hey, is that where we are going?" asked Mirexal, briefly landing on a tree and pointing over his shoulder.

"Probably." I said "I went a slightly different way to get here than we are coming back, but I'll know when we get there."

A few moments later, I emerged into a clearing near the edge of the swamp, only a few marshy pools remaining before the landscape transitioned into the plains biome where my castle was located.

"So which place are we going to?" Mirexal asked, flying a few feet off the ground. "I don't want to go to the wrong place."

"That's unlikely." I said "Unless you travel for a couple hundred blocks past the plains, there isn't really any major settlements around here, Except for the Crafter village of course, but there isn't really a chance of confusing that for a castle."

"All the same, I will stay with you." said Mirexal "If I just show up at your castle while you are away, I'm not sure how that would work out. Probably badly for me."

We reached the castle after a few more minutes of travel, , the guards giving me a strange look when they saw Mirexal.

"Keep a low profile if you can." I said "Quite a few lords would react badly if they knew you were a Chaos lord."

"Okay." said Mirexal, tucking his wings under a flap in his shirt probably designed for that reason.

"Where are you guys heading?" asked Jump, poking his head out of a potted plant. "There is nothing fun to do here. Can I come with you? Please! Its so boring here!"

"Fine." I sighed. Jump would just tell the others and complain if I didn't let him come and I kind of wanted to bring him if only for the reason of "accidentally" leaving him in the End so I didn't have to deal with him anymore.

"Yes!" yelled Jump, climbing out of his plant hiding spot "So where are we going?"

"You will find out when we get there." I said. At least this way if we ran into someone else Jump would not be able to blurt out exactly what we were doing. I led our small group down into the basement of the castle, where passages snaked this way and that before converging on a sparsely furnished room. In its center, a portal sat, a three by three surface of speckled star streaked blackness connected the frames which bounded it on all sides.

"In you go." I said, ushering my companions to the raised platform that surrounded the portal.

"Is it safe?" asked Jump, looking dubiously into the portal.

"Course it is." said Mirexal, grabbing Jump's wrist and pulling him along as he jumped into the portal. I waited for a moment before lowering myself gingerly into the portal, feeling the strange tingling of the portal around my lower body. Releasing the portal frame, I fell down into the darkness completely, my body making the shift from my realm to Shadow's

I picked myself up from where the portal had dropped me. The area had been filled with wool blocks to cushion the arrival of anyone coming through my portal. The walls were a mixture of different shades of stained clay, one of the many blocks we had begun work but not yet allowed the Crafters access to. The uneven and irregular pattern of placement left no doubt in my mind that Ender had been the one to build the walls here. She had a habit of messing up block patterns and creating "patterns that were hard to follow just to annoy Shadow.

Standing on the edge of the doorway that connected this room to the rest of the building, I looked back into the room. Jump was laying flat on his face, still completely out of it from his trip through the portal. Mirexal on the other hand appeared to be quite well oriented for someone who had just traveled through a portal. It had taken me quite a few trips to stop passing out for days at a time after I used an End portal. Mirexal's Chaos power might account for some of his ease at traveling through portals, but it was unlikely that was the entire reason.

"Hey Mirexal." I asked "Have you used one of these portals before?"

"What?" asked Mirexal, looking up a bit confused. "Oh yeah, I have used a portal before. It wasn't exactly like this one, but it was pretty similar."

"Kay, just wondering." I said "I suppose we should probably bring Jump with us." I grabbed the smaller lord under his knees and shoulders, slinging him over my shoulder but making sure to keep a careful arm on his waist to prevent any sliding.

"Don't get left behind." I told Mirexal "This place is huge. I've been here like forty times or something and I still get lost all the time."

"Got it." said Mirexal, gazing at the interior of the castle down the corridor from where we stood. As we walked, I heard him murmur "Its so familiar. Like I've been here before, but its just different enough that it doesn't quite fit. Like when someone watches your house while you are away and they move things, so when you get back it feels... off."

When we rounded a corner, I saw Tanya standing and talking to several Endermen, or rather Aleeta standing there. I had finally gotten the hang of telling the Enderlords and their spirit bonded partners apart, mostly after lots of repetition and error. Being careful not to look at any of the Endermen, I walked over to the group.

"Hi Steve." said Aleeta, glancing at me.

"Hi Aleeta." I said "Do you happen to know where Shadow is?"

"Last I saw he was in the library." she said "Even if he's not in there now, Lani is, and she will know where he is." I grinned at the mention of Lani. She and Shadow had an implied relationship that pretty much everyone except them seemed to know about. It made a strange kind of sense, considering that Lani and Shadow's bonded lords, Mirage and Illusion were married.

"Thanks Aleeta." I said.

Upon reaching the library, I saw Lani asleep on one of the comfortable couches scattered through the room. This explained why Aleeta had been so sure that Lani would be in the library. Placing Jump on a vacant couch, I looked curiously down a few rows of bookshelves. I had never really been allowed to look through many of the books here, so maybe I could use looking for Shadow as an excuse to examine a few.

"What are you doing?" I heard someone ask. Turning around, I saw Shadow regarding my actions with an accusatory eye.

"Uh, well you see." I said nervously "I was looking for you and I kinda got distracted by all the books."

"Uh-huh." said Shadow, looking unconvinced.

"Anyway." I said hurriedly. "I came to look for you to tell you that I brought someone here to meet Illusion."

"Really, who?" asked Shadow.

"Well, I guess you will just have to come and see." I said

Shadow followed me back towards the open area where Mirexal, Lani and Jump waited, the latter two still asleep."

"Hey, I'm Mirexal, and I want to talk to Illusion." said Mirexal as we approached, freeing his wings from under his shirt.

"Uh, Why?" asked Shadow. As he did so, his eyes shifted from their usual green to a purple hue. As his eyes focused, Illusion gasped. "What.. But.. How? Your..." His eyes fluttered closed and he fell backwards, overcome by shock. About halfway through his fall, Illusion's eyes snapped open, revealing that Shadow was in control again.

"Owww." he groaned as he hit the floor. Reaching a hand back to rub where his head had hit the floor, he said "I really hate it when he does that. Especially when there isn't an apparent reason for it."

"Yeah, it wasn't exactly the reaction I expected either." said Mirexal, looking at Shadow with wide eyes.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, considering leaving a review, they help me to know what I am doing right. Any questions for the characters can also be left in a review or PMed to me. I hope you all have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	4. Memories of War

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. No reviews this week, but maybe next time :). On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft**

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**Mirexal's POV**

After Illusion had unexpectedly fainted, I wasn't sure if I should be pleased or embarrassed. I mean I had just walked in on his life after all that had happened and hadn't even thought of how he would take it. That was so unlike me. Oh wait, no it wasn't. Big brother had always said that I preferred to act first and think about what happened afterward if at all. Anyway, we had moved into what appeared to be a cross between a kitchen and a chemistry lab. A literal line separated the room in half, a sliding glass partition between the two keeping any contamination from the chemicals from reaching the food area.

"I see Tanya took over your kitchen again." said Steve, gaze roaming over the chemicals faintly visible through the screen.

"Yeah, well she hasn't bothered to set up a proper lab yet, so whenever she needs to do something she uses this." said Shadow, running his hand through his hair. "I made her put up the partition and stuff after we had a couple close calls. She's not used to her lab space being used as a food preparation area."

"So why did Illusion flip out like that when he saw you?" asked Steve, pouring himself a cup of juice and placing the remainder of the container back in the ice filled chest. "I mean I would not have brought you here if I knew that was going to happen."

"I didn't know that was going to happen." I said "But looking back I probably could have been a bit more...tactful."

*The only time you have ever been tactful was when asking for food.* sent Illusion weakly.

"Oh, so you have recovered." said Shadow "Good. Now if you would explain why you acted so crazy when you saw Mirexal."

*I was just surprised.* said Illusion *Its not every day that a friend you though was dead suddenly shows up. And I didn't mean to take over friend, it just kind of happened.*

"Well, I'm not dead, so yeah, awesome stuff!" I said grinning.

"SO wait I'm confused." said Steve. "How do you know Illusion? And does Shadow know him too?"

"No, I've met him even more recently that you." said Shadow "Not sure how Illusion knows him."

*We were friends.* said Illusion.

"What? But he's a Chaos lord!" exclaimed Shadow.

"Yeah, and?" I said, glaring at Shadow.

"Uh, nothing." said Shadow, his nervous gaze doing its best to avoid mine.

*This was before Chaos kind were considered to be enemies. And there was another member of our group. One you might be familiar with. Zeren.*

"What? But he's evil!" exclaimed Shadow "I mean I can't pass a judgment on all of Chaos kind, but I know Zeren. He is not the kind of lord I could see you ever associating with."

"He wasn't always this way." I sighed "Something happened, and after that he was never the same. He never told us what had happened, but when he returned, he had changed massively for the worse. His desire for power, nothing more than a passing fantasy before, became an uncontrollable desire. All of his actions were for the acquisition of power, and no matter how we tried to stop him, it only got worse."

*Eventually,* said Illusion *I had to take action. I had been training to become Enderlord leader, so when I brought warning of what was happening in the Chaos realm, I was listened to more than another might have been.*

"And what had happened?" asked Steve.

"Zeren had happened." said Tanya as she entered.

"Yeah." I said "He decided enough was enough with waiting for anyone to decide to give him power. He figured, well if I deserve power, then I can get it for myself. The result was disastrous to say the least. Two households were almost entirely obliterated, one being his own and the other being my family's." At this point, I dropped my cheerful mask, the effort of thinking of these painful memories making it too hard to maintain. I mean I am a naturally cheerful lord, but sometimes things get tough.. "Out of all the other households, the one he attacked had to be the one where his best friend lived. Or one of them anyway. Then he spreads the rumor that we actually attacked his household to legitimize his rise in power. All this destruction just to satisfy his selfish desire to gain power. Most of the lords who opposed him were killed, but in order to get my big brother on his side, he made an offer. If my brother swore to be loyal, I would be safe from his wrath. If he did not comply, not only would he be killed, he would have to watch what happened to me after I decided my fate. He gave up his happiness in order to save me." I sniffed, trying to hold back tears. I was usually able to keep calm enough whenever this topic was brought up, but this extended focus on it was bringing me to my limit. Noticing my discomfort even if no one else did, Illusion tactfully changed the subject.

*So Shadow when are you going to visit the Overworld.* he asked *You can't avoid your brothers forever by hiding in your realm.*

"Oh, but it rains in the Overworld;" groaned Shadow "And I really hate getting wet."

"Shadow, I don't live in a field." said Steve "Roofs are a thing, and they are usually pretty good at keeping things dry. Well except when Herobrine tries to fix them. Then they tend to end up full of holes."

"Okay, we will go." sighed Shadow "But you have to take Jump back with you. He's your problem not mine. I am not going to let you make him my problem."

"Well by that logic he shouldn't be my problem either." said Steve "He is Herobrine's lord, so he should be his problem."

"Well he is Herobrine's problem and Herobrine is your problem, so by the transitive property of problems he is your problem."

"Oh will you just stop." said Tanya "I heard something about leaving, so get out of here."

*Please,* said Aleeta *She hasn't slept in like five days, and I will take no responsibility for what she does.*

"Right, follow me." said Shadow, standing up quickly. He seemed to know as well as I did that a tired Tanya was not something that could be dealt with through normal means. Often the best methos to deal with it was to leave. Or hide. I seemed to remember that hiding worked pretty well as long as she did not have any tracking supplies.

We quickly followed after Shadow, and I urged Steve forward, knowing that if I did not he might not move quickly enough to escape Tanya's wrath.

"I will grab jump and meet you guys in the portal room." said Shadow "You remember the way, right Steve?"

"I think so." he said. I followed after him as he weaved through the passageways.

"So Steve," I asked "Why are there so few Enderlords in this realm? Are they all away or something?"

"No." said Steve "Well a few are. Ender's in the Overworlds and a few others are on another island, but other than that there are no other lords. Mirage says that some lords still remain in the void, but other than them and a few stragglers throughout distant realms, the Enderkind are pretty much wiped out."

"Oh." I said, not sure what else to say. The destruction of the Enderlord homeland had been partial my fault after all. My flight to Illusion's stronghold after being banished had no doubt been a factor in the attacks that followed soon after.

The corridor we traveled along led into a room with another portal. Shadow arrived a moment after we did, carrying Jump along with him.

"How do you travel through this place so fast?" asked Steve "Even with the number of times I have been here, I get turned around all the time."

"Well I do live here." said Shadow "I have to know how not to get lost. Also, I have a map." he waved the paper in question in front of Steve.

"Really?" said Steve, looking irritated. "All this time I can't find my way around this place when there is a map I could have used!"

"Well, yeah." said Shadow "You never asked if there was one. Pretty much everyone has one though. Except Notchie. He has a creepy way of knowing exactly where he is at all times. And I am not kidding here. Ender and Flare have blindfolded that guy, led him around this crazy place, and he will still be able to find his way to whatever place you want him to go. Anyway, next time you come here, remind me and I will get yo a copy."

"Got it.' said Steve "Oh yeah, I will make sure we end up in the right place. Usually the portal would just dump you at some world spawn."

We jumped through the portal, and I braced myself for the transition.

**Steve's POV**

We arrived back at my castle, and let's say that I never want to have to keep a group from going to the wrong place when teleporting again. I'm going to leave that stuff to the Enderkind. Slightly dazed, I flopped off my bed, noticing that the others seemed to have ended up in the right place, although they were lying on the floor. In hindsight, it was probably a good thing that Cresilia was not in the room at the time, otherwise we might have ended up on top of her.

Scribbling a quick note telling them where I had gone and where they were, I dropped it onto Shadow's sleeping form before exiting the room ,stretching in an attempt to shake off the sleepy feeling that the effort of keeping the others traveling to the right place had brought. I was never very good at magic and the few things that I am actually able to do are either barely under my control and only occur during times of strong emotions, or took so much out of me that there wasn't really any practical use for them. This had always been a point of irritation for me, as my three older siblings seemed to be able to use and learn magic with almost no effort.

A loud crashing noise downstairs broke me from the thoughts that my sleep-like daze had brought upon me.

"What the heck is going on?" I demanded as I reached the top of the stairs. Looking down, to the bottom of them though, I froze at what I saw. Two forts had been constructed in the entryway to my castle, one of crystalline panels of light that seemed to phase in and out of existence, the other a much more practical rectangle of netherbrick topped with flames. The loud crashing noise from before repeated itself when Herobrine jumped up from inside the dark fortress, loosing an arrow at the other fort. The projectile slashed through the crystal panels, creating the splintering, crashing noise before the bolt was deflected by an almost invisible shield. Notch looked out from behind several cracked panes, glaring at Herobrine.

"Missed again." he taunted.

"What is going on here?" I yelled.

The two of them stood up before pointing at the other simultaneously and saying "He started it!"

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**A/N:I hope that you have enjoyed this chapter. If so, reviews are always appreciated. Even if you did not enjoy it I would love to hear feedback on what you think I could do to improve my writing. Any questions for the characters can also be PMed to me or left in a review. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	5. The Chaos Child

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. No reviews this week, but I know some of you have been reading. Hopefully next week's chapter will be up earlier since I have Friday off. On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft**

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**Herobrine's POV**

Notch and I looked at Steve, then at the mess we had made. I felt a bit guilty at the sight. Shattered light panels and bits of netherbrick lay strewn across Steve's formally spotless entryway. Even so, what I felt was not enough to claim responsibility for the events that I had been a part of, If anything Notch and I were equally at fault for what had happened.

"why do you guys always do this?" said Steve massaging his temples "I mean you guys are my brothers, the ones who are supposed to be setting an example, not the ones who should be told off for acting like little children." Another figure moved slowly towards the top of the stairs, eyes half lidded as he rubbed the sleep from them. His tousled gray hair was streaked through with the same bright magenta that was so prominent on every feather.

"Uhh, whats going on?" he asked, stretching both his arms and wings luxuriously.

"Nothing important Mirexal." said Steve "Just a family problem."

"Didn't you say your lady friend, uh Cresilia, was watching them?" he asked.

"Yeah." said Steve, slowly turning to look at us again, slight suspicion showing. "Where exactly is Cresilia?"

"She went out." said Notch, shoving aside remnants of his shattered fort, panels returning to normal light at his touch. "Said the Crafters were up to something again and she had to deal with them."

"Maybe it has something to to do with those guys." said Mirexal "You know the ones I was telling you about who told me where Shadow was."

"Well I am going to find out what is going on." said Steve "But you two are going to stay here and clean up this mess."

"Fine." I muttered, Notch also voicing his reluctant agreement.

"And if I come back." said Steve "And find that you have not cleaned up or you have made another mess, you will not be pleased with the consequences."

**Izra's POV**

I was back in the Nether after what Sallen had told us and I wanted nothing more than to lock myself in some room to try to process it. I had known that the majority of the chaos lords were a violent group who had few morals, but I had never imagined the level of treachery that they were capable of. And to help a friend, I had allied myself with these lords, taken their power as part of myself and pretty much become one of them. Slowly trudging down the hallway, I tried to fight off the rising feeling of chaos within me. In addition to the thoughts of disgust and horror that Sallen's revelations had instilled within me, each new piece of information had increased the strength of the chaos in me. It was as if it was the chaos' way of telling me this was its true nature, and no matter how much I tried to fight it, there could be no denying what I would become. The hall narrowed and my pace increased ever so slightly,, the desire to be somewhere where I could safely dwell upon my feelings overriding even the dark power of the chaos.

"Israphel." The sudden sound of my chaos name sent me turning towards its source, regardless of any danger that doing so might pose. The sight before my eyes made me wish that I had traveled more quickly to my room. Milota stood in the narrow corridor behind me, the confined space only serving to make her more imposing. "I was wondering if you would care to watch Aryto." Aryto was Milota and Zeren's child, and from Milota's tone her words were a command rather than a choice. I had met the child several times and he acted more like Notchie than anyone else, his actions nothing like those that both his parents were capable of. Milota seemed eager to dump him on any other lord that was available, having no desire to deal with a child who showed no interest in dark plans. "Maybe you can teach that brat how to do something useful." she said "Honestly it seems to be a trend with Zeren's children that they are not good at much of anything. Before I thought it was just Teloxen since he was a half-breed and all, but it seems that was not the case."

"I thought you liked Zeren." I muttered.

"What was that?" she asked, eyes flashing in a way that suggested that it would be bad for my health to continue pursuing this topic.

"Uh, nothing." I said, hoping that she would not pursue the matter. To discourage that, I asked "So where is Aryto anyway?"

"Around somewhere." said Milota, waving her hand absentmindedly. "He's with Rayko I think."

Sighing at how little Milota seemed to be interested in taking care of her child, I turned and walked away, wondering where Rayko was likely to have taken Aryto. After checking a few places that seemed obvious like the lunch hall and his room, I decided to leave finding Rayko for later and go see Sallen instead. Rayko would no doubt watch Aryto until someone came to fetch him, so there was not really a problem with leaving the two of them together.

Upon reaching Sallen's lab, I found that this dilemma had been resolved. Aryto sat in a corner, scribbling lazily on a scrap of paper. Sallen held a finger to his lips as I entered, gesturing to where Rayko sat sprawled across one of Sallen's empty lab stations, wings outstretched so that the lowermost feathers nearly brushed the floor. Disheveled blond hair stretched across the surface, pooling like water at the limits of its length.

"You here to get Aryto?" asked Sallen, shortening the distance between us to a handful of feet.

Wordlessly I nodded, worried that a careless sound might awaken Rayko.

"Then by all means take him." said Sallen "I will tell Rayko where he has gone when he wakes up. It has been a long time since he had a decent sleep, and I don't want to be the one who wakes him up."

"Why can't he sleep?" I blurted out, all rational senses telling me that it was none of my concern and to get on with watching Aryto, but the part of me that wanted to know overwhelmed these more reasonable notions, allowing my inquiry free reign.

"He still blames himself." said Sallen, a sad half-smile passing over his lips as his eyes stared into the distance "He feels that if he had not told Zeren what he had seen the night Teloxen was deemed a traitor, then no harm would have come to him. He blames himself even though he had no way of knowing what was going to occur as a result." realizing what he had said, Sallen stared at me for a moment before saying "And I trust you know what would happen if Zeren or another were to discover how Rayko felt about this. He would be deemed an impure lord and cast out or killed."

Flinching slightly at Sallen's intense gaze, I did my best to block out the thought that he was watching me as I helped Aryto to collect his things and walk down to one of the spare rooms.

"Okay." I said, addressing the young child "Time to teach you how to fight. Maybe then Milota will think you have some use."

"Don't wana fight." said Aryto, his neutral expression turning into a pout. "I wana drwaw." His mispronounced words reminded me how young he really was. Sallen had assured me that Aryto's rapid development was perfectly normal for a Chaos lord child, and that after a time it would slow exponentially. Even so it still struck me as strange that a species with such a long lifespan grew up so quickly. Having grown up with Creepers and later Crafters, I had grown used to beings with a steady growth pattern.

I had also been warned by multiple lords that while Aryto was little, any power that he developed would be extremely powerful but he would have almost no control over them. As he grew older, he would exchange some of that power for the ability to control when and how he sued his powers. The only chaos thing I had ever seen Aryto do was random scribbles on a page, as I kind of doubted that was anything more than a sign that he was still a child.

I glanced towards the rooms several entryways to see if anyone was coming before saying "Okay, we can draw,. But only for a little while, and if anyone comes, you have to tell them we were practicing okay?"

"Yay!" said Aryto, jumping up and hugging my legs, the only part of me that he could reach. I plopped down next to his drawing supplies, and he came over, arranging his legs in the neat criss-cross pattern that he liked.

We had only been working a short time when I sensed Zeren coming.

"Okay." I said, pulling Aryto to his feet. "Your father is coming, so we have to practice now."

Aryto nodded, crossing his arms in front of himself, palms out to ward off attack. "I'm ready." he said, voice shaky.

Looking at his stance critically I said "Well this is a good form fro warding off basic physical attacks, but we are training to fight lords. I will not do anything against their attacks. Can use any magic?"

"I can try." he said nervously.

"Okay" I warned "I am going to throw a projectile at you, block it in whatever way you can." I waited until Aryto nodded before calling on my Chaos magic, forming a projectile over one hand. Once it had reached a satisfactory size, I threw it towards him. Aryto's eyes opened wide and he tried to dodge out of the way, but I guided the projectile to follow him. This was not a test of if he could get out of the way, it was testing if he could block magic. I chased him around with it for a while, his evasions growing slower as time passed, each strike of the projectile growing closer to him. When the projectile at last reached striking distance, rather than shying away Aryto turned towards it, positioning his hands as if to catch it. I felt my control over the projectile slip as it drew closer to Aryto, another controlling its path in my stead. Aryto guided the projectile back towards me, a look of unwavering concentration on his face. Control of the object returned to me as it drew near, and for a while we continued this cycle, exchanging control of the projectile.

The sudden sound of a door opening on an upper platform distracted me, preventing me from returning the projectile. As the projectile smashed into my chest, I felt a wave of anger shoot through me, fueled by the growing power of chaos. How dare this creature of such insignificance hurt one so powerful as me. A wave of chaos and anger drew me into the darkness, blinding me to the consequences of the actions I carried out. The last thing I glimpsed before descending into the dark haze of chaos was Zeren standing on the balcony overlooking the room, regarding the scene below him with a dark curiosity.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review, they really do help me to assess how much you guys actually like reading this. Questions for the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	6. Horrors of Chaos

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. No reviews again this week, but I did get a follow so that's something. On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft**

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**Izra's POV**

The dazzling glare of redstone lighting speared into my sensitive eyes when I resurfaced from the dark haze that had overcome me. Squeezing my eyes tightly closed to protect them from the harsh glare, I stretched out my limbs, disoriented when I felt not the hard surface I had expected, but rather a slightly springy surface that dropped away at the edge of my reach. This feeling was surprising enough for me to force my eyes open regardless of the blinding light that overwhelmed them. Squinting into the brightness, I saw the hazy outline of a figure standing not far from where I lay. As my eyes adjusted to the light, the figure became more solid and defined. After several minutes of blinking at the glare, the figure resolved itself into a recognizable from, the gray-green color of its wings leaving only one possible identity.

"Dexos," I murmured "What happened?"

Looking up from whatever he was doing, Dexos looked over me once before muttering to himself "So this one is awake at last. The others must be told of this." Ignoring my question, Dexos walked from the room, his gray-green shirt and brown tinted pants allowing him to fade into the dim hallway. I struggled with figuring out why Dexos was taking interest in my condition. Dexos had always made it clear that he was unwaveringly loyal to Zeren, and since it was at least fairly well known that I allied with Sallen, and as a general rule members of either alliance did not pay much attention to members of the other side except when conflict was involved.

A section of wall to my left shimmered, then seemed to peel away from the rest of the structure. I watched it with guarded curiosity, figuring that I might as well know something about what it was before it reached me. To be honest, I didn't know if I could even move at this point, let alone deal with a threat, if that was what the strange moving thing turned out to be.

The strange moving things split down the middle along a single straight seam. When it fell away, suddenly thrown back by the lord it concealed, it revealed Teloxen's slight figure. Looped over his shoulders as it now was, I recognized it as a cloak that Sallen had designed for Teloxen after his wings had been mangled. Before that time Teloxen had been able to shift the color of his wings to a general approximation of his surroundings. After Zeren had shredded his wings, the ability had been pretty much unusable. Whenever he tried to match something, parts of his wings would respond, but the damaged sections would either flicker through several random colors or refuse to change at all. As a result of this, Sallen had designed a cloak for him that could mimic this ability. None of the other chaos lords seemed to have this ability, so I figured that this strange ability had to come from his mix of Enderlord and Chaos lord genetics.

"What is going on?" I murmured, hoping that Teloxen would answer the question Dexos had not.

Teloxen bit his lip, clearly uncomfortable with discussing the topic. "What do you remember?" he asked hesitantly, repeating those words that every chaos lord seemed to ask when something went wrong.

Knowing that I would not be told anything until I answered the question, I said "I remember taking Aryto to train, then Zeren came in and I don't remember what happened after that." Looking at Teloxen's wary expression I said "from how you're acting I'm guessing this is not one of my usual blackouts."

"You could say that." said Teloxen sighing "When Zeren showed up, Aryto hit you with some type of object that the distraction prevented you from blocking. This made you snap, and you did some things that you most likely would not have done had you been thinking rationally."

"Just give it to me straight." I said, irritated by how Teloxen seemed to be dodging around some big thing that happened while I was blacked out.

Teloxen took a deep breath before saying "Aryto is dead. And...and you killed him."

Teloxen's words sunk in and I froze, unsure if this was real or some terrible dream brought about by chaos power. The pain that stabbed through me as I forced my fingernails into my palm made me believe Teloxen't words. That the terrible words he had spoken did indeed hold truth.

"How?" I gasped, trying to hold back half formed tears "How did it happen? I mean what... Do you know how.."

"How you did it?" said Teloxen, finishing the thought I could not voice "No idea. Zeren saw it happen and brought you here after. I've had to sneak around quite a bit to even figure out what I know now."

"How are the others taking it." I whispered, the low tone barely allowing me to keep in the tears I wished to save until I was alone.

"Not well." sighed Teloxen "We had to lock Rayko in Sallen's lab to keep him from coming after you, and I don't think Sallen's much better. He's a bit more rational though, so I don't think he will be after you."

Footsteps in the corridor caused Teloxen to jump, eyes darting back and forth, looking for some escape.

"I have to go." he whispered "Be careful. I don't know how Zeren's lords will respond to this." He pulled the cloak over his head, the seam sealing itself once more so that the illusion was complete. The shimmer slipped down the side passage that joined with the room, quickly fading from my sight. Once he was gone, I found that it was much harder to hold back the emotions I had bottled up inside me. The conversation may have threatened to release them, but now, all alone there was nothing to distract me from the thoughts that whispered through my mind. I had killed an innocent child. What monster was I who would do such a thing, end such a life even if I was under chaos power's influence.

The sound of steps pausing just outside the room brought me the resolve I needed to suppress these feelings for at least a short time. Whoever it was, they would not have any sympathy for a weeping lord. Chaos king did not approve of such acts, feeling that these types of acts should not provoke sadness, but rather be used to acquire power.

The footsteps resumed, and a female lord with blue-black wings entered the room. She wore a low cut midnight blue dress that clung to her slim frame, its black trim making a sharp contrast to her light skin. Dark hair the color of midnight framed her face, piercing amethyst eyes boring into me. A tiara made or strange blue tinted obsidian circled her head, holding back her hair. She was a lord I had met only once or twice and who I usual y tried to avoid due to her alliance with Milota. Her name was Vakara, Chaos lady of the night.

"My lady requests that you follow me." she said "And my lady does not like to be kept waiting."

Taking the hint, I pushed back the thin wool blanket that covered me and swung my legs over the side of the bed, a dull ache spreading through my chest as I moved. Apparently whatever had hit me had caused more damage than had been hinted at. Gritting my teeth, I stood, doing my best to hold in my whimpers of pain. I followed Vakara down the hallway, quickly growing lost as I was directed along unfamiliar passages.

We emerged out into a room about twice as wide as any of the corridors but still positively cramped compared to the size of some of the rooms in the fortress. Milota stood in the doorway of the room, staring out into Zeren's throne room. When I saw her, it occurred to me that I had not even considered how she would react to the news that I had killed her child. Zeren was usually the one to be feared but he might not be the greatest danger in this situation. She turned and caught sight of me and Vakara.

"Good, you have brought him." she said "Zeren is ready fro him now. Follow me." She led us into Zeren's throne room where he saw upon the throne.

"So he is finally awake." said Zeren, speaking to Milota but making it clear that I was the one he observed "And are you aware of what trouble you have caused?" he asked me, voice much calmer than I had expected. Aware that Teloxen had probably not been supposed to tell me what had happened, I decided to take the cautious approach and act ignorant to my actions.

"No." I said "What happened?"

"You were training with Aryto and he was killed." said Zeren "A most tragic happening of course, but it presents me with a more pressing problem."

"What?" I gasped, more surprise by the fact that Zeren seemed to have almost no concern about what had happened to Aryto rather than the news of the act itself, although the emotions did resurface at the reminder.

"Yes, yes its all very sad." said Zeren dismissively "But it leaves me with the problem that once again I am without an heir, which seems to happen on a regular basis for some reason."

"I wonder why." sighed Milota, rolling her eyes "I very much doubt that Aryto would have been a very good Chaos lord anyway. Too easily distracted and influenced, certainly not a very good choice for a leader."

"Yes, well as least we will not have to deal with that problem now." said Zeren.

"So why am I here?" I asked, completely put off by how they were reacting. I had thought that I had been brought here to be punished, but that did not fit with how they were acting towards me.

"Well, Aryto's death as I have said leaves an unfilled position in my household." said Zeren "I have seen your chaos power and would like to request that you begin training to become my heir. What is your answer to this?" Zeren's request stunned me. I had been the one to kill his child and all he had gotten out of that experience was that I was a better choice for heir than the dead so n who had been slain at my hands. Even so, a part of me felt a strong affinity for Zeren's request. The chaos part of me, which had grown much stronger since my last blackout whispered treacherous thoughts to me

_Your alliance never really had a chance_ it whispered _Wouldn't it be better to side now with the winners? Its just who you are anyway, and haven't you always been told to follow your true nature? _This last statement made me think. It was true that I had always been told to follow my true self, and it did make sense that since I was now chaos kind at least in part, it would be beneficial to embrace this part of me. And it would go at least some way towards appeasing Zeren in case he later found himself opposed to what I had done.

"Alright." I said, looking Zeren in the eye "I'll do it."

"Excellent." said Zeren, a small dark glint I could not place bright in his eyes.

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**A/N: I hope that you have enjoyed this chapter. If so, please leave a review it really does help me to know if you guys like what I write. Questions for the characters can also be PMed to me or left in a review. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	7. Mirexal's Power

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I would like to thank ****dalmationblack**** for reviewing this week. Oc's in the chapter are Dalm, which belongs to dalmationblack and Dark and E, who belong to CreepyParadox.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft**

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**Steve's POV**

"So what exactly happened her?" I demanded, staring at the large mob of Crafters throwing insults and worse at several figures restrained within a ring of iron bars, the gaps of which were just wide enough to allow entry to many of the objects thrown by the crowd.

"Apparently the Crafters are not too pleased with the mobs lately, I mean more than usual, and they are taking it out on some of the lords they found." Said Cresilia, walking over from a heated conversation with several Crafters near the edge of the fray. "They won't listen to me though. Say I'm a traitor to the kind and all that. Course I didn't tell them I was lady of Creepers obviously or I would be in the same position as the other lords."

"Who exactly are they throwing at?"asked Mirexal, standing on tiptoe to try to see over the crowd.

"Steve who exactly is this?" asked Cresilia, her eyes glancing over Mirexal in confusion. I could see where she was coming from with this question. Mirexal certainly was a strange traveling companion, especially given his current attire. I had never quite figured out why Mirexal wore shorts and flip-flops if he had been in the Nether, or pretty much any other realm for that matter. It did not seem to be practical in any way, doing nothing to repel harm.

"He's Mirexal, and yeah, he's a Chaos lord, don't ask, he's a good guy. Hey Mirexal, what are you lord of anyway?" I said, stopping mid sentence to question Mirexal.

"Dimension bending." sighed Mirexal "Which sounds really boring and dull doesn't it."

"A bit." said Cresilia, still not taking her eyes from him. Taking a step closer to me, she whispered "Are you sure we can trust him? He is still a Chaos lord even if he says he is on our side."

"You know I can still hear you." said Mirexal, twisting several strands of grass together in an intricate pattern.

Ignoring him in order to placate Cresilia, I said "He says he was banished and I haven't seen anything to suggest otherwise. Anyway, Shadow seemed to think it was fine, and he and Illusion have met more Chaos lords than us."

"Well okay." said Cresilia, still not looking completely convinced.

"So which lords do they have locked in there?" I asked, trying to distract her from the topic of Chaos lords.

"One of the lords of skeletons." said Cresilia "Dalm I think, along with those two guys who came looking for Ender while her group was in the Aether."

"Dark and E." said Mirexal, still absentmindedly fiddling with the grass. Cresilia and I looked at each other, then back to Mirexal.

"How the heck do you know that?" she asked.

"I told you" said Mirexal, finally looking at us in irritation "Or I told Steve at least. They are the ones who told me you guys knew Shadow."

"Oh yeah." I murmured. I hated it when I did not remember this type of thing, especially when it was something important.

"Okay, whatever." said Cresilia, glaring at me like I should have told her. I flinched at her look, uncomfortable partially because she was probably right.

"Hate to interrupt your one sided glare fight." said Mirexal causally "But those Crafters sure are not getting any happier. You want me to deal with them? I can do it crazy or subtle if you'd like."

"Subtle please." I said "The Crafters are worked up enough already. Any more so and they'll come and riot around my castle again."

"Kay." said Mirexal, glancing towards the iron prison once more. With a quick snap of his fingers a shimmering magenta ring appeared on the side of a nearby tree. His second snap did not seem to do anything until a moment later when the three who had been trapped slid out of the portal.

"How did you do that?" I gasped, glancing between him and the former captives.

"What did you think dimension bending meant?" said Mirexal, startled by the shock in my tone. "Its how I got out of the Chaos realm when I was banished."

"Steve is just easily surprised." said Cresilia, waving off my actions. Inwardly I was grateful for this. I did not really wish to have to come up with another reason why Mirexal's actions had surprised me. The truth of it was that when Mirexal had linked the portal on the tree to what I supposed to be another within the iron cage, I had felt a strange twisting within me. The only thing I could think of to explain this was that what Mirexal had done had physically affected me since I was so closely linked with the realm.

With another snap of his fingers the two portals Mirexal had created vanished, the strange feeling within me making itself known once more.

"Warn me before you do that again." I gasped, trying to shake off the remnants of the clinging feeling.

"Sure." said Mirexal, seemingly amused by the position I had been put in. Although Mirexal seemed to be amused by pretty much everything so that was not really a surprise.

"Are you okay?" Cresilia asked the three who had come through the portal.

"I've been better." said E, wiping bits of whatever had been thrown at them off his shirtless upper body, revealing the numerous tattoos that covered it "At least the nether was not humiliating, well most of the time anyway." Herobrine had told me that E was a Crafter who had taken up necromancy. He had been raised by a witch since a young age before he traveled to the Nether in order to receive training. Demented had apparently trained him and as a sign of unity with his teacher, he wore the top section of a mask similar to Demented's. I still knew little about Dark besides what Ender had told me. I glanced at the black haired bat hybrid, wondering what history he had.

The third person however was a lord I was unfortunately well acquainted with. I say unfortunately because whenever we met it always seemed to be because his skeletons had done something destructive. It may have been an accident, but it still was annoying. Dalm was a Crafter with brown hair and eyes of the same color, though they were covered by black sunglasses at this point. His cloths consisted of blue shorts and a long sleeved red shirt with several images of diamonds on it, over top of which hung a simple gold medallion with a diamond secured to it.

"So how did you get stuck in there?" I asked, doing my best to sound civil.

"Oh just the usual." he said breezily "Crafters being the usual pain that they are. Course you would know all about that Stevie."

"What have I told you," I asked "About calling me Stevie?" I did my best to calm my tone but touches of the anger that seethed within me escaped into it.

"Probably that I can't." he said smirking "Like so many other things that you tell me."

Cresilia, seeing the growing tension between us, stepped forward. "Hey, you are free now." she said "Now either get back to where ever your skeleton base is, or if you need somewhere to stay, you can stay at the creeper bunker. Dark and E, the same offer is there for you guys."

"Aww, why can't I stay at your place." said Dalm looking sad.

"You don't get along with Steve or Demented, I am hardly going to invite you to a place where there is a chance you would spend an extended amount of time with either of them."  
"Fine." he grumbled.

"Lets go." I sighed. The strange feeling I had felt earlier had returned, although much weaker than before. I thought back to when I had met Mirexal and realized that this feeling had begun then. At the time I had just thought it was nervousness at what Mirexal might do if he turned out not to be trustworthy, but now I realized that he was actually the source of this strange feeling.

*You can feel it, can't you.* I heard someone send. Turning towards where I felt the sending most strongly emanating, I saw Mirexal looking at me, an expression of questioning directed towards me. His sending was similar to Shadow's but still tinged with that same strange feeling that filled me.

_Yes_ I sent back _I feel something. It has been troubling me for a while now. Do you know what causes it?_

*Somewhat,* sent Mirexal *Illusion always said he experienced a similar thing after he look up leadership of the Enderkind and responsibility for the realm. His idea was that since my powers deal with manipulation of realms, any lord who had a connection to one felt strange fluctuations in their magic when I am around, and strong waves of the same feeling when I actually use my powers. It always seemed that the effects were less over large distances, like if Illusion was dealing with something else when I had to use my powers. The strangest things happened when I had to link realms to other realms though, especially the Chaos realm. I had to link the realms for one reason or another, I don't really remember what it was, and when I did, Illusion was connected to the magic of the Chaos lord in charge at the time, Zeren.*

_That does not sound pleasant_ I sent, shuddering at the thought of that lord being linked in any way to me. Notch had told me how he had acted when they met in the Aether as a part of the conflict and what I had heard made me want to never look at the lord let alone come into contact with him.

*It was not.* said Mirexal *Illusion passed out from it for quite a while. Only after we were able to remove the Chaos that had flowed into him through the link did he wake up.*

"You guys just going to stand there all day?" asked Cresilia.

"No, we're coming." I sighed.

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**A/N: I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Now for questions for the characters.**

**From dalmationblack to Aryto: ****Aren't you a god? How can you die? **

**Aryto: I am not a god, I am a Chaos lord, so as a result of this I am able to die or be killed.**

**Any questions for the characters that you may have can be PM'ed to me or left in a review. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	8. Teloxen's Way

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far, I know I am having a wonderful time writing it. On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft**

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**Teloxen's POV**

"I can't believe he did this!" shouted Rayko stalking back and forth, his wings puffed out with their feathers ruffled from his rage at the situations we had been placed in. Sallen and I watched him, not sure as to what the best course of actions would be in this situation. So far we had managed to keep any of the other lords from discovering any of our opinion on Zeren's appointment of Israphel as his heir, which was quite quite an accomplishment considering what Rayko had wanted to do to Israphel when he found out what had happened to Aryto. Sallen and I suspected that Izra had finally snapped for one reason or another during that practice session with Aryto, and like it or not we were going to have to accept the fact that he was lost to us. He had truly become Israphel, so in respect to what he had once been I no longer called him by his original name. He was now Israphel, chaos the fallen.

Turning my attention back to Rayko, I concealed a grin at the fact that he was still ranting about Israphel. No matter how serious a situation was, Rayko's over exaggerated reactions to things always made everything seem a little less bleak. It was almost like he was complaining about some day to day event rather than something that would be considered an unforgivable crime in other realms. What it really put into perspective was the sheer horror of things that were considered socially acceptable in Chaos kind civilization, how broken the society of my people was that they saw the death of a child as just another opportunity to expand their power. It was times like this when I really wished that Tanya had managed to get me away from Zeren when I was a child. I am sure that the Enderlords had their problems too, but I doubt that they where anywhere near as bad as the ones of Chaos kind.

*You okay?* sent Sallen curiously, presumably refraining from speaking aloud in order to keep Rayko calm or at least prevent him from growing any more enraged. He had seen Aryto as family more than almost any other lord, even those who were actually related to Aryto and any mentions of topics relating to the dead child lord quickly brought him to a state somewhere between blazing furry and uncontrollable sobbing. Needless to say it was not something I had any desire to see again, so Sallen's discretion was appreciated.

_Yeah, I guess_ I sent_ I am still trying to get over what Israphel did though. I could see how what happened to Aryto could happen as a result of an accident, but there is no excusing what he did afterwards. His decision to join Zeren is all on him._

_ *_I know_*_ sent Sallen *Part of him may be trying to rationalize it as a form of consolation for what he did, but I am sure the true basis for this decision is the desire of the Chaos within him to obtain more power in any way and at any cost. What worries me is what he may do if pressed for information about our alliance. We were not exactly secretive around him and if Zeren thinks to ask about it I doubt that Israphel would withhold much if any of what he knows. After all, Zeren is the one training him to lead, and as I am sure you know, one of his favorite lessons to teach time and time again is the importance of using all information, no matter how insignificant it seems, to further your progress through an organization's ranks.*

_We will have to change our operations base._ I sent _He knows where our old one is, and I am sure he will use that to his advantage. If he tells Zeren how you have been helping me and Rayko, what will happen to you? He is not a lord I have ever known to be merciful or kind, even to his own blood relatives._

*I should be okay.* sent Sallen, flashing me a quick grin. *Zeren may think that he knows all my tricks, but he is sadly mistaken. I have been a Chaos lord quite a bit longer than he has and some arts were lost to the kind long before he came to power. I have worked to rediscover some of these, but of course I did not share this fact or what I discovered with him. When a lord blackmails you into working for them by using your little brother as a bargaining chip you tend not to tell them every little detail of what you are doing.*

_Every lord should have secrets._ I sent _At least that's what Chaos kind has taught me._

*Strangely enough secrets seemed to be looked upon as ill advised in many other realms.* sent Sallen *Chaos kind may have the wrong reason behind it, but they are correct in saying that some secrets need to be kept and can even be beneficial.*

_Which realms see secrets as wrongdoings?_ I asked, surprised that something I had always considered to be an acceptable and nonviolent method of lessening negative feelings inside myself was seen as a wrongdoing in other realms. Perhaps I was more like the other members of the Chaos kind that I had previously believed.

*Well it's not so much that they see having secrets as wrong as that they feel they strain relationships between people and nations. Or so I have been led to believe.*

_Oh_ I sent, pondering what he had said. I could defiantly see how certain secrets could defiantly be used to the advantage of one side or another in a conflict. But some things if known caused more harm than good. _Some secrets should be kept. _I thought to myself _But only if a lord or nation can deal with and take responsibility __for whatever fallout results should the secret somehow be revealed._

*Zeren sure was wrong when he said that you would make a poor leader.* Sent Sallen, his sending tinged with amusement. I felt the blood rush to my cheeks as I realized that I had accidentally allowed him to view my supposedly secret thoughts.

_How much of that did you see? _I asked hesitantly, struggling to remover the obviously apparent embarrassment from my sending.

*Enough.* sent Sallen *But I am not going to be spreading it around. That would be bad for all of the members of our alliance. In all seriousness though, I think that you would have been a very successful leader for Chaos kind. Zeren had no idea what he was talking about when he said that you did not have what it takes to lead. If anything, he is the one who is not fit to lead anyone, let alone a whole realms. Getting back to our current problem, I think I know how to kill two mobs with one arrow.*

_What is your idea?_ I asked, intrigued.

*Well Rayko is crazy right now to put it lightly, and should he come into contact with another chaos lord outside of our alliance, I dread to think of the consequences of his actions. So what I propose is that we send him to the Overworld to tell the lords there, all in secret of course, about what happened here. The lords of the upper realms will no doubt be pleased to receive news, even if it tells of negative things, and it will get Rayko somewhere where there is a much smaller chance of discovering a Chaos lord he feels ill disposed towards.*

_That is not a bad idea_ I sent after a moments thought _But how do you know how the lords of the upper realms will react to him? After all, they have a thing against Chaos kind in general and I very much doubt that they stop to ask questions before they take out any member of our kind._

*Well Rayko at least has some past experience in the upper realms.* sent Sallen *After all he was the one who took Izra's prophecy to them. And all things considered that actually went pretty well, so some of the lords may actually be familiar with him, making this a better opportunity.*

_Alright, you have convinced me. _I sent _Now the hard part. Convincing him._

It actually was not as difficult as I had originally anticipated to convince Rayko to take news of the recent events to the other realms. He made it clear that he understood that it was a good idea for him to have some time away from the other Chaos lords. In fact, he seemed visibly relieved when we suggested it, saying that he had needed an excuse to get away from all the crazy dealings around here and see the sky again. His words stirred feelings that I had long since been trying to suppress, mostly out of habit from my time as Zeren's student, but also as of late as a way to cope with being a virtual prisoner in this realm. I could defiantly understand even now after the months I had spent here why Herobrine had always been so desperate to escape from it. Even the void, the realm the Chaos kind called it's home had some semblance of a sky. But here in this star-forsaken realm there was only the confining roof of gooey, oozing netherrack, holding within it's sweltering interior a wasteland bathed in eternal half light. It was a desolate place, crudely constructed by an unpracticed hand. And yet beyond all this I always saw another side of what was present. The caring lord who made the creatures able to survive in this seemingly uninhabitable place, the hope for equality among a family its creation had provided, the sacrifice of a lord who would protect what he had made and stand up for what he believed was right even at the cost of his freedom. I never was sure why I saw these things, nor had I ever told another lord about them. Perhaps it was something to do with my powers as they regard to balance, perhaps it was something entirely different. But what I saw kept me going though all I had to live through. In every realm I saw this, in every place and even in every one. In this realm at least, Zeren had always focused on upon the negative aspects and how we must break free from it in order to conquer other realms with greater worth. He was blind to the good things that this realm had brought. For though they had been small, they had made a difference.

_And that is what Zeren can never understand._ I thought _That all things contain both good and evil and what one views one way may be seen differently by another. Chaos is not an evil force unless we treat it as one. Anything that is cast __aside and feared will strike back at those who wronged it, hoping that it can set things right. But evil only brings more evil, acts done by lords who would never do such things under relaxed circumstances but who under the pressure of conflict warp into terrifying creatures more foul than they oppose. It is only through accepting the wrongdoings of others and not acting upon them with wrongdoing __of our own that the realms can find balance and peace is achievable._

"So what now?" asked Sallen, breaking me free from the swirling maelstrom of my thoughts.

"I guess all we can really do is wait." I sighed "Wait and see if Israphel betrays all our secrets to Zeren or if we are safe from that little disaster for a while longer."

"We could always just run." said Sallen, leaning back over the back of the bench where he sat. "Run away from this accursed place and never come back. I've thought about it before, but I never have."

"No, we have to try to stop this." I said "And we won't accomplish that by running away from our problems."

"Well they are not exactly just our problems." said Sallen "But I see your point. I guess we will just have to go along with whatever happens."

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**A/N: I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Questions for the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. I hope you have a good day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	9. Israphel's Confrontation

**A/N; Hey, Ender here. I would really like it if you guys could tell me what you do and don't like about the story so far, it really motivates me to hear from you. On with the chapter**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft.**

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**Israphel's POV**

I apprehensively stood outside the door to where our alliance met, not sure what kind of welcome would await me within. It would have been foolish for me to think that they had not heard of my choice, but a part of me wished that they had not. It would be nice if I had a chance to explain myself for once before I was condemned for it. I stepped forward to push open the door, then paused.

_How should I do this?_ I wondered, an uneasy feeling of uncertainty settling in my chest._ I do not want this to seem like I am leading a raid on them or anything along those lines._ Reaching out, I placed my hand flat against the door for a moment before knocking lightly against it. After a moment of no response, I knocked again, this time a bit harder than before.

"Go away." someone said from within, too muffled by the door to be identifiable. "We have no desire to deal with a lord who chooses to break an alliance just to advance his power."

"Just let me explain" I said, trying to push down the rising fury growing within me. How dare they refuse to allow me access to an area I had once called my own. They had no right to keep me from doing anything I wished to do. I was the second most powerful chaos lord, surpassed only by Zeren, and no was not an answer I was willing to accept.

"What is there to explain?" the voice said from within "You broke an alliance and that's all there is to it."

"You're wrong!" I shouted, stepping forward and slamming into the door. A spiderweb of cracks shot through it, shards flaking off from the tough wood. With another push the door splintered, sending half crushed chunks of wood scattering across the floor in a shower of splinters, revealing the lord who had spoken.

"How is this serving to prove that you have not betrayed anyone?" asked Sallen, eyes looking quizzically at the shards of the door "The door never did anything to you, or at least not that I am aware of." His seemingly uncaring attitude enraged me. How could he act so casually in my presence. He should bow to my power not treat me as a naughty child, to be scolded and taught the error of his ways. Snarling I lept forward, intent on showing this, this disrespectful, near-traitorous lord who he was really dealing with.

"Are we really going to do this?" sighed Sallen, sidestepping my charge. What he was not expecting was the tendril of chaos sand that wrapped around his ankle, throwing him off balance. Smirking in triumph, I gestured and several more tendrils wrapped around him, pinning him against the wall. A delicious look of fear manifested itself on Sallen's face.

"What, how?" he managed to gasp before a tendril wrapped around his neck, cutting off most of his air.

"I've gotten stronger." I said "Being Zeren's heir has benefits, and the best training available is one of them." The fearful look on Sallen's face flickered to something else for a moment, but it was enough to tip me off that something was up. The look that had crossed his features had almost made it seem like he was looking at something. Or maybe someone.

As this thought occurred to me I turned, nearly running into the hand of the lord behind me. I stopped just in time to avoid it, a fraction of a block separating it from my face. The lines that creased it changed from clear to blurry and back as its slight movements moved it in and out of where I could see clearly.

"You wouldn't do it." I said to Teloxen. His broken wings making him easily identifiable even in the dim half-light that saturated the room.

"Don't make me find out." he hissed, shoving his hand closer, so close that I had to cross my eyes to make any sense of it. A slight glow came from it, the telltale glow that meant Teloxen was preparing to use his powers.

"Fine, fine." I said, holding my hands palms out, fingers pointing towards the ceiling at about shoulder height. "What do you even want anyway?"

"Let him go." said Teloxen, eyes darting to where I still had Sallen secured.

"Why should I?" I said, trying to surreptitiously edge away from his hand.

"Because I suspect you would rather not become a pile of dust." he said icily "So stop trying to get away and let him go."

I stopped my slow attempt to get away from Teloxen and reluctantly loosened the bonds of chaos sand that secured Sallen's limbs. As much as I hated doing it, I had a feeling that if Teloxen was willing to suggest it, he was pretty confident that he was physically able to do it, even if that did not necessarily mean that he could bring himself to do it. I did know that some chaos lords, Sallen especially, were able to manipulate matter with Chaos power so that whatever they chose just turned to dust. I had never heard of a Chaos lord who was able to do this to anything living though. The forces generated by the spirits of most living things overpowered chaos enough to keep the force weak enough that nothing fell to pieces. Teloxen's powers had always been a bit strange though. His mix of Chaos lord and Enderlord powers had always caused enough strange looks from others, but his status as lord of balance made other Chaos lords avoid him even before he had been disowned by Zeren. Balance was not something they were comfortable with, even speaking of it felt too much like surrendering to the forces of the lords of the upper realms. The re ad never actually been a lord of balance born into the Chaos kind before Teloxen, and Zeren hadn't reall known what to do with him when he discovered what his child had power over.

I mentally told the tendrils of chaos sand to release Sallen and they did, slowly crumbling backing into their base particles."

"Now get out of here." said Teloxen, moving slightly to the side so that there was enough space between us to allow me to pass by.

"This will not be forgotten." I hissed as I passed "Zeren shall hear of it."

"I shall wait for that with great enjoyment." said Teloxen "Its not like he can make my life any worse." I hastily exited the room, intent on telling Zeren exactly what had happened and how there were lords within his empire who were opposed to him and his lords.

**Sallen's POV**

I fought to keep my eyes open as the bonds loosened around my neck, sending me sliding down the wall to rest on the floor as I lost what support it had been providing.. The loss of air had not done me any good, especially considering the emotional upheavles I had dealt with lately, what with Israphel's actions towards Aryto and Rayko's response. And now it seemed, Teloxen's new found ability to stand up for himself.

"Oh gosh, I think I am going to pass out." said Teloxen, sliding to the ground, hands pressed to his forehead and wings wrapped tightly around himself to keep out external forces.

Okay, maybe not on that last one, but still what Teloxen had done had surprised me. I had honestly not been expecting anyone to come to my aid. In fact, I had desperately been trying to come up with some way to escape from Israphel's bindings without alerting Zeren when Teloxen had entered. Something had alerted him to the fact that I needed assistance, and I suspected that I had the fact that he was a lord of balance to thank for this. Israphel's power would have caused fluctuations in the balance Teloxen strove to maintain, and this feeling coupled with the emotions that I knew he was quite adept at sensing from me in particular, would have tipped him off to the fact that I needed help.

Sliding myself over to where Teloxen sat huddled on the floor, I wrapped a wing around him, drawing a sharp gasp of surprise from him before he identified the source of the gesture.

"Thank you." I murmured to him, drawing him closer. "I didn't know how I was going to get out of that."

"I really messed up." sniffed Teloxen, removing a hand from his forehead to brush away the first traces of tears forming at the very edges of his vision. "I should not have goaded Israphel. Zeren will find out about us, and then he will hurt you. Like he hurt me. Not just outside, but inside too. He'll cast you out and you'll be alone, all alone"

"Sometimes you remind me so much of him." I sighed, absentmindedly brushing a few tears from his face.

"Who?" asked Teloxen, leaning back far enough to be able to look me in the eye.

"Mirexal" I sighed "Sometimes you remind me so much of him it is painful. I miss him so badly. But you are as close to family as I have now, so no matter what Zeren does to either of us, we will stay together and make the best of the situation.

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**A/N: I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Questions for the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. I hope you have a good day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	10. Informing and Transforming

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. So we are now at just over three hundred views for this story at the time of posting this chapter. No reviews again, so I'm not sure if you guys don't like the story or if you just don't have anything to say :). Anyway, on with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft**

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**Zeren's POV**

"So what are you here to tell me?" I asked Israphel, steepling my fingers and leaning back in my throne. I really needed to do something about this thing as sitting in it for even short amounts of time gave me horrible wing cramps. Gazing down at where my new protege had prostrate himself before me, I gestured for him to speak, the flash of the whites of his eyes, although quickly averted, alerting me to the fact that he was looking at me.

"Well?" I asked, growing impatient with the continued silence Israphel maintained. Sure I had not made him my heir for his speaking skills, but I had thought relaying basic information would have been easy enough even for him in his altered state. For I could sense the Chaos growing within him and knew that if I did not capture him completely within my influence soon, he would grow beyond even my great power and be uncontrollable.

The young lord seemed to battle within himself for another moment before saying "They plot against you, questioning your actions and planning your downfall. If you do not act soon upon this, your reign may come to an untimely end."

"Who?" I gasped, slightly taken aback by this sudden revelation of treachery from within the ranks of my lords. I had always known that not every lords was perfectly pleased with my rule, but to go to that extreme, this was not something that had occurred to me.

"Um Rayko, Teloxen and Sallen." said Israphel, ticking each name off on his fingers as he spoke. "I scouted out their operations area and found out what they were up to a while back when they were foolish enough to believe that I would be interested in joining their little rebellion."

"And why have you not told me of this before?" I asked, a suspicious glare directed at Israphel "Are you sure that you are not a part of their plans?"

"I did not want to blow my cover until I was sure I was in a position where I would be believed." he said, shrinking back slightly under my scrutiny.

I held my suspicious gaze upon him for a moment longer before saying. "Very well, but in the future should any plans of that variety become known to you, you must report them to me at once so that I may make an example of them, to show what happens to lords who dare to defy me."

"Very well." said Israphel, lowering his gaze and obscuring the glow of his gray-red eyes.

**Israphel's POV**

I left Zeren's presence quickly after his implied threat. At least for now I would follow his command of full disclosure. But soon, very soon I hoped, my power would be strong enough to overthrow that arrogant fool. He was merely some self serving lord who though he deserved power simply because he wanted it. But I was a true heir to Chaos' power and soon I would be able to reclaim it.

"Yes" I murmured, laying back on the collection of soft wool blocks that served as my resting area. "Soon I shall claim what is mine by right. Then all realms shall bow before my power!" I stretched, cackling at the realization that my goals were well within my reach, that soon the true glory of Chaos would be revealed. Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of myself in the reflective surface of the thin glass that separated my bed area from the rest of my room. I scowled at the image it displayed. My messy brown hair and expression that always seemed about to turn in to a smile might have been seen as pleasing to members of Crafterkind, but it was hardly the kind of image that would send anyone running in fear or make someone look around to see if anyone was watching before speaking of them. No, if I was going to rise to such heights as Chaos said was possible, I needed to have a more intimidating appearance. It sure did not help the matter that that there were very limited supplies in the Nether, and as such I had been forced to cycle through a few sets of cloths every couple of days, which detracts from the image of a terrifying lord more than you might think.

Looking down, I saw that I wore the outfit that I had brought with me that day, the only physical reminder I had left from my time as a naive lord who thought that everyone could just get along without needing to have some higher lord watching over them. But now I saw how wrong I had been. The majority of the creatures found throughout the realms were like sheep, blindly following their own ways until they stumbled into some danger that ended their purposeless existence. They needed to someone to guide them, like a faithful shepherd who leads the sheep with wheat and cares for them so long as they can satisfy his demands.

As I stood up, something caught my eye. Looking over, I saw a spell book lying on the edge of a block, presumably one that I had been reading before being overcome by the need to rest. What had caught my eye though was the page the book was open to. Its art showed a simply dressed man being transformed into some other form more pleasing to him. Interested, I picked up the book, wondering if it could be just what I needed to make myself into someone that lords would actually respect and fear.

"Let's see, what does this need?" I muttered to myself, eyes darting across the page as I searched for the list of required materials.

When I finally found them written at the very bottom of the page, I was surprised at how simple the ingredients were. Most of them I actually had in my room, and the few that I did not have were easy enough to find. The only one that gave me some trouble was the final ingredient, a feather from the Chaos lord the spell was being performed on.

_ Well hopefully hair works too._ I thought, taking a small pair of shears and clipping off a few strands. _It probably will, I mean they are pretty much the same stuff._

Gathering the rest of the materials, I sketched the required circle on the ground, placing the various materials at even intervals around it. I sketched an approximation of what I wished to look like on a scrap of paper, placing it in the center of the circle. I had been extra careful to make it how I wished to look, especially noting the wings that I wished for. Anyone who wished to rule over the Chaos lords, who truly wished to earn their terrified loyalty, must have wings. The mark of a true lords of Chaos was their wings, which I supposed was why Zeren's actions towards Teloxen, his ritualistic wing shredding, had been so devastating to him.

Grabbing the book from where it had slid onto the floor, I flicked it open to the appropriate page, standing before the circle and glancing at the words to make sure I had remembered them correctly. I chanted the spell quickly, doing my best not to mispronounce any of the strange words. I understodd some of the, nut my studies of the language of void magic had not yet progressed far enough to understand exactly what was said.

At first nothing seemed to happen. Then a bolt of pain arced through me, sending me sprawling to the floor. I felt a strange crawling sensations all over my body, and it was all I could do to keep myself from brushing away what mu mind was telling me was covering every inch of my skin. Though my blurry vision, I saw thin beams of light arc out from the spell components I could see, all the beams intersecting just above the paper. Suddenly, the pain running through me multiplied and my vision darkened as I was drawn into unconsciousness.

When I awoke, I could tell that something had not gone as planned, if only because I could not feel the weight of any wings on my back. Pushing myself upright on shaky arms, I looked at what was left of the spell circle, the ring flaking off in places and remnants of components crumbling into dust. The small piece of paper I had drawn upon was the only piece that remained intact, its formerly faint lines now replaced by an image of what I had become, a full color rendition of some strange creature.

_No._ I thought_ No! What has happened here?_ Pulling myself upright, I staggered towards the glass that divided me from my sleeping area, dreading what I might see reflected back at me. One look told me that the spell had not gone as planned. Scrabbling through the spell book, I hurriedly looked for the spell I had used. In my haste, I turned the page one too far, revealing the portion of the spell I had not seen before. With trembling fingers I struggled to hold the book steady enough to read what was written.

"Warning." I whispered "This spell is for Chaos lords only. It is supposed that an attempt by any other lord would result in drastic consequences of the darkest kind. Any lord who attempts this does so at their own risk, upon peril of their happiness and life."

Taking another look at what I had become, I said "Well I guess its not all bad. I may not look like a Chaos lord, but I can work with this. And it most certainly is more awe inspiring than my last form." My body had shifted in a way I had not considered, no doubt due to my position as lord of Creepers. Smooth white skin devoid of any imperfections covered my body, sharply contrasting with the black suit I wore. My eyes seemed to me the least changed, still retaining their red-gray hue though they seemed to shine in a much darker manner than before, as if the darkness that inhabited my very soul was trying to make itself known. They seemed to look even more sinister given my complete lack of hair, which gave my face an almost reptilian look, much like that of the Creepers I controlled. Gold fastenings covered my cloths, the black suit jacket unbuttoned and slightly open, revealing the gray and gold striped shirt beneath.

"Yes indeed." I sighed, taking one last look at what I had become "I can work with this. Most defiantly." I turned and left my room, leaving behind the used spell circle, the paper depiction of my new form drifting lazily to the ground, my exit having disturbed its precarious placement and sent it to rest where it had previously been set.

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**A/N: I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. I really, really enjoy hearing from you guys and finding out what you like about the story. Questions for the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. I hope you have a good day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	11. Zeren's Confrontation

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Sorry this is late, I was busy and had a bit of writer's block. The story also has a new summary, which I hope represents it better than the last one did. On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Zeren's POV**

"Where are you, you little traitor?" I hissed, stalking towards Sallen's lab. "When I get my hands on you I am going to..."

"Going to do what?" asked Milota, coming up from behind and wrapping her arms around my waist. "It's not like you to get this riled up."

"Its none of your concern." I said, brushing her off. Taken aback, she stepped away, her face showing concern and hurt that sent unexpected feelings running through me. Ignoring them, I rushed past, intent on confronting my target before he could somehow discover that he had been found out and flee to some place where I could not get to him.

The clatter of glassware bumping into each other sounded from the half open doorway of Sallen's lab. Looking in, Sallen's turned back was visible, his wings tightly pressed back to avoid knocking anything over in the cluttered area. Hushed whispers came from within, and I frowned. Who else was in there with Sallen? It could present a problem if it was more than one other lord. Even my great power could be subdued if enough lords were against me.

_These lords have caused more trouble than they know._ I thought _I no longer know how many lords oppose me, or which ones may wait to overthrow me. Well it does not matter. I am more powerful than they know._

Shoving the door open, I strode in, already preparing a spell to use against the traitorous lords. The two lords within, and it was only two, not more as I had feared, turned quickly to see who had entered the room.

"So you are the ones who have plotted against me." I said, pacing towards them. "I have to say, I'm not impressed. A crazy scientist and a hooded lord who's too scared to show his face. That's all that you are. How could you ever think that you could take someone of my power?" I let loose my spell, sending daggers of pure energy flying towards them. Somehow through combined effort they managed to put up a shield to stop it, catching the projectiles mid flight. When the shield lowered they tumbled to the ground, shattering into numerous fragments before fading into nothingness.

"If that's the best you've got then this won't take long at all." I sneered "But what happened to the other on? Rayko I think. Did he leave you here to die while he made his escape? Or perhaps you are planning something? Well, it does not matter. My power had grown even more so, there is not a chance that you could scrape together even a fraction of the power you would need to take me down."

"You really never change." sighed Sallen, rearranging the various lab materials in front of him in an endless pattern that I could not see the purpose of. "You still act as power hungry and prideful as you were before you came to power."

"You are not worthy to treat me like this." I said :I am your leader, not some object that you can make a mockery of at will." All of a sudden, I noticed that the other lord who had been with him, the one I had not been able to identify due to his hooded robe, had mysteriously disappeared.

"Where did your friend go?" I asked, confusion slightly diminishing my drive to obliterate him.

Sallen shrugged, "No idea, he just kind of runs off sometimes. Of course considering the fact that you're here, his timing is not exactly a surprise."

"What do you mean?" I asked "He is one of your traitor buddies, but he is obviously extremely afraid of me. Why does he dare to oppose me then?"

Sallen raised an eyebrow "Why wouldn't he run away from you. You were the one who practically ripped up his wings. And messed up his childhood. And messed up his family, do you need me to continue, the list just goes on."

"What did is none of your concern." I said "Now, tell me where all your little friends are hiding."

"No, I don't think I am going to do that." he said, leaning back against the lab station where his various types of glassware sat.

"Oh, really." I said, taking a step towards him. "And why is tha..ack!" My words were suddenly cut off when something forced itself against my throat, effectively cutting off my breath.

"How does it feel?" someone hissed from behind me, "To be the powerless one, at the mercy of another."

Wrapping my hands around the object, which just seemed to be a thin stick, I twisted it sideways, breaking it free from the lord holding me. Whipping it around, I grabbed the wrist of the lord holding me, using my other hand to shove back their hood, revealing Teloxen's startled blue eyes.

"I don't know" I said triumphantly, shoving him violently to the floor and twisting his arm around until I heard a crack. Tears sprang to his eyes, and he struggled to hold them in. "Why don't you tell me how it feels since you seem to be in that position all the time." At this, Teloxen gave up all attempt to hold in tears, letting them slide down his face in fat droplets. Sobs wracked his body, his wing tips partially freeing themselves from his robe every so often, revealing the tattered remains of his flight feathers. Conflicting feelings of power and revulsion ran through me. Annoyed at the weakness the disgust I held within me revealed, I pushed it away, telling myself that it was the sight of such disgusting feathers that made me feel this way, rather than any guilt I might have felt about what I had done to Teloxen.

Teloxen lay shuddering on the floor before me and I felt my power grow, Chaos gaining a stronger grasp upon me as I stood above my subdued child. Suddenly, something slammed into my back, loosening my grasp on Teloxen enough for him to wiggle free. I tried to turn to see who had run into me, but found that whoever it was had wrapped their arms under mine and up over my shoulders. Trying to forcibly shove them off with my wings, I found that they had also thought of this and had managed to position their shoulders under my wing joints, forcing them upwards and preventing me from using them against the one who had grabbed me. This rather unique hold told me who had grabbed me as it had quite often been used against me as a child.

"Really Sallen?" I sighed "Are you now defender of every weak looser or something? Because it seems that every time I see you, you have managed to find some more pathetic lords to tag along with."

Ignoring my attempted challenge, Sallen said to Teloxen "Run. Go find Rayko. I will find you when I can. Be safe." Teloxen stood shakily, hesitating for a moment before clutching his injured arm to his chest and running from the room.

A few moments later, when I had felt Teloxen's presence vanish from this realm, I felt Sallen's grip on me loosen. I quickly scrambled free, using my wings to fling Sallen a short way from where he had been holding me.

"It's just us now." I hissed, flaring my wings and drawing a dagger imbued with pure Chaos energy.

"Yes." said Sallen, brushing himself off "But it shall not end as you plan."

"That's what you think." I said, raising my blade and charging towards him.

*Are you sure you want to do this?* I heard a strange voice say, each word resonating with power and yet at the same time filled with a mischievous tone that was rarely heard among the Chaos kind. *You know I can only do it once.*

*I am sure.* sent Sallen.

*Very well* sent the strange lord. Slightly confused as to what was going on, I slowed my charge, looking for any sign of what Sallen's seemingly new found ally had done. Figuring it was just some trickery designed to throw me off, I sped up once more, determined to eliminate Sallen once and for all.

All of a sudden, small forks of electric green lightning formed in the space between me and Sallen, completely surrounding the space where he stood. Unable to stop myself, I crashed into the bolts, the seemingly intangible field actually as hard as bedrock. Though they seemed to be solid, the bolts still burned like lightning, leaving huge burned patches across the front of my body and wings. Scooting away from the glowing barrier, I winced as the movement aggravated my burns. As I did so, an enormous blast of lightning the same electric green hue as the smaller bolts struck the center of the ring, hitting me with a shock wave strong enough to send me slamming through the wall and into unconsciousness.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Again, I apologies for how late this is. For anyone who celebrates Memorial day, remember those who died to keep us safe. As always, questions for the characters can be left in a review or PM'ed to me. I hope you all have a great day and I shall see you all next week. Bye! :D**


	12. Regroup and Recovery

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Israphel's POV**

When I found Zeren, he was a mess. I had a vague idea of what he had been going to do after running into Milota, who apparently was not very happy with him at the time, so she followed him for a bit to get on his nerves. I really doubted that he had even been aware of this, when he was focused on something it was almost impossible to get him to do anything else or even notice basic things in his environment.

I found him unconscious halfway blasted through a wall two rooms away from Sallen's lab. Leaving him for a moment, I made my way over the rubble from half demolished walls to what seemed to be the epicenter of the blast. Upon reaching what I figured was the boundary of Sallen's lab, the debris cleared out. The force of whatever had happened here had blasted all of the rubble to the sides of the room, leaving an almost perfectly circular space in the center. Long streaks of gray powder were burned into the previously pristine netherbrick floor, along with strange green swirls that converged in the center of the room.

"What happened here?" I murmured, taking a few steps towards the spot where the radiating swirls and streaks originated. Looking closer, a pattern emerged at the very center of the strange pattern. "What the?" I gasped, recognizing the pattern on the floor as a strange version of a teleport circle. What really was strange about it was that instead of being drawn into the floor as the circle usually would be, it was etched almost a quarter of a block down into the solid netherbrick, the bottom lit by a green luminescence brighter than the faint swirls on the ground, but still the same startling color.

Deciding that I had spent enough time considering the ruins of whatever had happened here, I rushed back to where I had seen Zeren, hoping that his wounds had not been enough to end his life in the time since I had left him.

Upon reaching the spot where he lay, I sighed in relief. His wounds were awful, but they were something that he could recover from. It would be difficult, but in the end he would survive.

"But in what state?" I murmured, taking in the full scope of his wounds. All of his limbs seemed to be broken, his wings being the most damaged out of them. Long burns streaked down the front of his body, scorching the flesh almost down to the bone. Several large lacerations crisscrossed his face, one cutting directly across his eyelid. "Well, someone will need to be in charge while he recovers." I reasoned "And it makes sense that I would be just the lord to choose. After all, I was appointed to be his heir just recently."

I picked up the injured lord around the waist, figuring that he was injured pretty much everywhere anyway, so a bit more damage would not be of notice. Heaving the injured lord up onto my back, I grunted in displeasure at the rain of dust and drops of blood that showered onto me as I moved Zeren. Muttering under my breath about how I better get something out of this, I made my careful way over the rubble, trying not to bang the injured lord against the jagged surfaces that I encountered along the way.

Upon finally making the trip up several flights of stairs to Zeren's rooms, I dumped Zeren onto his bed, trying to lay his limbs in a way similar to where they normally were. Then I went to find Milota. She would know what to do with Zeren, who to call to help him recover from whatever had happened between him and Sallen.

**Teloxen's POV**

I had fled when Sallen had told me to, running from a fight I was too terrified to even begin. If I had dared to be a part of the fight, I would have been next to powerless though, for the runes that still marked me allowed Zeren to control my powers.

The area surrounding me was some part of the Overworld I had never been to before. I had not had much of a choice in portals, and so had simply used the first one that had turned up. Fat raindrops began to fall from the darkened sky, quickly saturating the ground around me. Clutching my injured arm closed to my body, I wrapped my wings around myself to preserve what little heat I could while I looked for a sheltered area.

I felt the link I had with Sallen abruptly break, and I froze, waiting for several terrifying seconds to see if it would reconnect. When it did not, I slowly sank to the ground, sinking a bit into the marshy ground. The absence of a link meant something had happened to Sallen to make him undetectable to my powers. I did my best to push the most likely option from my mind, that he had fallen to Zeren's power and been killed.

"No." I whispered, staring up into the rain filled sky as if to defy whatever cruel lord of fate would dare to command such a thing. "No!" I cried, my voice louder than before, filled with a desperation that I had hopped not to experience again. "Don't leave me! I don't wasn't to be alone again." When no otherworldly forces responded, I knew it was time to do something, anything, to get me out of this state.

"He said to find Rayko." I whispered, trying to shove myself upright in the marshy area and finding it more difficult than I had expected. "And he said to be safe. I've got to do that. To...To remember him." Opening my mind, I reached out to the various lords I could sense, being sure to do so in a way that would not allow them to detect me. A thin link stood out to me, and I reached for it, clinging tighter when I felt Rayko's presence. A wave of startled confusion came from Rayko, as well as a force trying to push me away. Trying to focus, I sent to him "Rayko, it's me."

The resistance stopped and he tentatively sent "Teloxen, is that you? What happened?"

"Sallen sent me away because Zeren came to confront us." I sent, the sending filled with desperation "And now I can't sense him, and I don't know where I am."

Rayko's presence shifted for a moment before he sent "Okay, come find me. I know you can. I would give you directions, but they wouldn't help since you don't know where you are. Be careful though, you know where I am staying right? The lords around here may not be favorably disposed towards you."

"I know." I sent, before loosening my connection to him, keeping just enough that I would be able to track him. As I was about to begin traveling though, a stray link caught my eye. Focusing on it, I saw that whoever it belonged to seemed to be in the same area where Rayko was. The link connected to many of the other lords in the area, but what really struck me as strange about it was the color. Most creatures would have a single color as a link, which varied from race to race, but stayed constant for each individual. Magic users might have a bit of an overlap, but you could generally still tell their race. Lords were a bit more difficult. They often had multiple colors based on their race and skills, but they frequently changed. This link was like those in that several colors ran through it, but the colors themselves where what struck me as strange. Usually the colors would be at least related in some way, like Shadow's purple and black or Notch's gold, yellow and light blue. But even I could not figure out what kind of lord would possibly have the colors gray, magenta, light purple and electric green.

Reaching out hesitantly, I gasped as the link seemed to force itself towards me. Whoever it was should not be able to sense me yet, but it sure seemed link they could from what I saw here. Hesitantly taking hold, I felt a rush of emotions from a very unfamiliar lord run through me.

"Ah, I wondered when you would find me." he sent, strangely cheerful considering that I had entered his mind without consent, at least not in name. "You were still little when I left, so you probably don't remember me. I'll see you later. Probably when you meet up with Rayko."

"Wait, who even are you?" I asked, confused by the entire situation.

"I'll tell you when we meet." he said "Until then, it is not safe. Those who would come after me would use you for information, and I would not with that on almost any other lord." he abruptly broke off the connection, leaving me almost more confused that I had been beforehand.

"Well, I guess the only way to figure out this mystery is to get going." I sighed, managing to extract myself from the gloopy mud. Righting myself, I set off in the direction that Rayko's link was leading me.

**Sallen's POV**

I winced as I gradually returned to consciousness, every part of my body screamed in agony from the movement. Instead of continuing, I opened myself to the surrounding area.

"So you're awake." said another lord, the one who had allowed me to escape from Zeren.

"Yes." I said, coughing slightly as pain ran thorough me from the effort of talking. "What will the long term consequences of this be for me?"

"We will have to see." he said mysteriously "You know how easily things shift, but I expect that it will be a positive outcome. Some trends can be reasonably guessed at."

"Well can you at least tell me where I am then?" I sent "Surely that would not be too much to ask."

"Sure thing." he said "You are on the border of the plains and forest near Steve's castle. I'll watch out for you until someone trustworthy turns up or you are healed. Until then, rest. You shall not be harmed."

"I trust you." I sent "Do not make me regret doing so."

"Aww, you trust me? I'm touched. So many just assume I'm the bad guy without even getting to know me because of what I do." I drifted off as he continued to rant about this, complaining all about the unsavory lords he had met over time.

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**A/N: Will Zeren recover? Will Teloxen find Rayko? Who is this lord who is helping Sallen? I hope you guys have enjoyed. Please consider leaving a review, or if you have any questions for the characters they can also be sent to me. Have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	13. A Gathering of Lords

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. ****I would like to thank ****AMinecraftMaste****r for reviewing this week. I had to cut this chapter in half, so most of the action will be in the next chapter. ****I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel  
**

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**Rayko's POV**

_Why does this always happen to me?_ I thought. Pushing aside the leaves of a nearby tree, I anxiously peered out at where Steve and several of his associates had stopped to rest on some trip. My mission had been to bring news of what had happened in the Nether to the Realmlords, but I had not been prepared when they suddenly walked into the forest clearing where I had been trying to figure out what to do. Thinking quickly, I had darted into a dense section of leaves in one of the shorter trees, hoping that the thick covering would be able to hide my feathers. Red was not exactly a common color in the forest, so all things considered, my hiding place actually seemed to be working out rather well.

Steve's group consisted of him, Cresilia, Shadow and another lord who I could not place. A small branch broke beneath me, and I cringed, waiting for it to reveal me. Surprisingly, none of the group seemed to notice. Emboldened by this fact, I reached out to them mentally to see if I could find out why they were here. The unknown lord whipped his head around, eyes steadily moving across the patch of trees I was hidden in. Somehow he must have been able to detect what I was going.

_Well if he already knows someone is here._ I though _I might as well reveal myself. Being called out another would hardly help my case that I am here for a peaceful reason._

A rustling of the bushes to my left caught my attention. A green silhouette sat in the bushes, streaked across with patches of mud and stuck on leaves. The very end of tattered feathers stuck out from underneath the cloak, caked with accumulated grime. Why of all times did Teloxen have to show up now, just when things started to get to get complicated.

The unknown lord suddenly looked pleased, glancing over to the rustling bushes, then back to where I was hidden, as if to confirm something. This lord was defiantly strange, although I could have probably figured that out from the fact that he was wearing what I could only describe as beachwear in a dense forest.

Flashing a few bright feathers in Teloxen's direction to catch his attention, I stood, doing my best to extract myself from my hiding place without causing too much of a scene. This did not exactly work out as I had planned. Some of my hair had become entangled in the low hanging branches, and when I stood up it was pulled tight, causing a great deal of pain. So instead of the dignified appearance that I had hopped for, I remained in a half standing position, cries of sudden pain falling from my lips.

The group of lords I had intended to speak to turned towards the noise. Steve and Shadow both drew blades at my appearance, Steve for the sudden appearance of an unknown foe, and Shadow for the appearance of a chaos lord, for I was certain that he remembered me from when I had brought them the prophecy. The unknown lord's actions puzzled me though. Instead of drawing weapons against me as most of the others had, he came over and grabbed the branch my hair was tangled on, untwisting the strands carefully and freeing me from the clinging branch.

"There you go." he said, flashing a smile "Isn't that better."

"Yes." I murmured, doing my best to regain my composure. Something about him seemed familiar, something from a long past childhood memory.

"What are you doing Mirexal?" asked Steve "He could be anyone. Get away from there!"

I gasped. This was Mirexal? The lord who Zeren had banished in order to protect his position?

Mirexal pouted. "Well it's not like you asked if I knew him, now is it?"

"Lay off Steve, he should be okay." said Shadow "That's Rayko. He's the one who brought us the prophecy of the sand. But he better have a good reason for being here now."

"Oh, he does." said Mirexal. "Else he would not be here. His friend in the bushes is probably here for the reason or something similar."

"His what?" asked Steve, looking thoroughly confused.

"You know the guy moving around in the bushes over there." said Mirexal, pointing to where Teloxen had hidden himself. "Honestly, it's not like balanced Chaos power is exactly a common thing around here. Or anywhere for that matter."

"Then whoever is over there come out!" said Steve, brandishing his sword at the bushes.

*Weapons down first.* sent Teloxen hesitantly *I don't want any reflex swings at me.*

A look of understanding came over Shadow, and he stepped forward, pushing down Steve's weapon as he sheathed his. Steve continued to look confused, and I realized that he had not been able to receive the weak sending.

"Weapon down Steve." said Shadow. A stronger rustling came from the bushes and Teloxen emerged, shoving back the hood of his camouflage cloak as he slowly came forward.

"It's you." hissed Steve, reaching for his sword.

"Yes." said Teloxen, lowering his gaze.

"Why have you come?" asked Shadow, placing a warning hand in front of Steve to prevent any sudden movements.

"Yes, I'd like to know that too." said Cresilia, coming over to stand next to the two of them. "We just came out here to find out what the fuss was in the Crafter town a couple hundred blocks from the castle, and all of a sudden we run into you two. Are you the ones causing this?"

"No, we are not a part of anything going on up here." I said frowning "That's actually why I was here, to tell the Realmkind that Sallen's faction has broken off from Zeren's rule. So any Chaos stuff is probably being caused by new enemy number two, Israphel."

At the mention of Sallen, Mirexal jerked his head up in surprise. "Big brother." he murmured wistfully, before he began fiddling with something on the ground again.

"If you were here just to deliver a message, then why is he here?" asked Cresilia, gesturing to the unhappy looking Teloxen. "It's more likely that someone will shoot the messenger if said person is a hated enemy."

"Now wait." I said "Teloxen's not a bad guy, he was just trying to get on Zeren's good side, if he even has a good side that is."

"Don't bother." said Teloxen softly, eyes downcast. "I deserve whatever criticism they give. I am here because I have nowhere else to go."

"What happened?" asked Mirexal, looking up with worried eyes. "Did something happen?"

Teloxen bit his lip before saying "Yes. Zeren confronted Sallen, and Sallen sent me away to keep me safe. Something happened after that and we don't know what happened to Sallen."

"I see." said Shadow, shooting a concerned look at Mirexal.

*Perhaps it would be best to carry on to where the disturbance was reported.* sent Illusion *It might provide a good distraction from these events.* The group agreed reluctantly to Illusion's suggestion, casting uneasy looks at me and Teloxen as we traveled. Only Mirexal did not, for he was preoccupied with worrying about his brother's well-being.

The setting sun was sending tongues of orange fire over the treetops when we reached the Crafter town. The streets were deserted, not a single Crafter remained outside even though some time remained before the nighttime creatures would emerge.

A single house stood out from the ranks of identical structures, and it was this one which Steve went to. Knocking on the door, Steve stood waiting for any response from the building's inhabitants. The lights of the building were bright, shining out into the roadway, yet no shadows crossed the light, no flicker disturbed them that would signify the movement of any inhabitants.

"Maybe something is wrong." suggested Shadow, craning his neck back to look into the windows of the second floor.

Steve knocked again, then said "Maybe. The messenger said to come here, so they should be expecting us. Even so, I do not wish to intrude on them."

"Alright." said Cresilia "Let's give it five more minutes, and if no one comes, then we will go in."

The five minutes passed and still no one came to the door. By now it was almost dark and a faint chill had spread across the landscape like a blanket in reverse. Steve pushed open the door and entered, glancing around warily to see if an ambush lay within.

"Search the house." instructed Cresilia "Bring anyone you find here. Hopefully they will be able to tell us what is going on."

We split up, each searching an area of the surprisingly large house. A sudden scream from a lower area sent me running back towards the main room, wondering what had caused the sudden noise. We followed the sound until we reached what had to be the source. A rather strange sight presented itself before us. Shadow had pinned a Crafter girl against a wall with his tail and was struggling to quiet her screams. When he saw us approaching, he said "I didn't really take into account the fact that most Crafters have never seen an Enderlord."

Squirming to try to get away, the Crafter shouted "Why aren't you helping me? This guy is trapping me here." She glimpsed mine and Mirexal's wings "Are you guys like, his friends?" She asked "That's so uncool. Three on one is hardly fair." Struggling to get away, the Crafter girl caught one of Shadow's antennae in her teeth and bit down, sending Shadow leaping back ni an attempt to get away from her teeth.

"Why did you do that?" he demanded, grabbing the damaged appendage to check the injury.

"You were like, trying to kidnap me." she said, stepping forwards now that she seemed to be in a position of power.

"No they were not." said a voice from further up the hallway. "In fact they are here to help us. So back down Tammy."

"Fine" she said, not looking happy with the command.

Steve turned to the man "So now that we've found the others, will you take us to where the disturbance was?" he asked.

"What, now?" asked the man "But there will be monsters out!"

"Yeah." said Shadow, winding a small bandage around his injured antennae "What of it? My little brother is in charge of most of them, and I rule the others. I'm not seeing the problem."

"Fine." grumbled the man. "I'll take you out there. But Tammy comes with us."

"Fine." said Steve "Let's go."

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If so, a review is always appriciated. Any questions for the characters can also be left in a review. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	14. The Creature in the Forest

**A/N:Hey, Ender here. We are getting close to 500 views for this story, you guys are the best! :D I hope you guys enjoy the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Mirexal's POV**

The strange guy from the Crafter village led us to the area where apparently many strange things had been happening lately. The man seemed to be a leader of the community, which was good and all, but in my experience that type of person rarely had the whole story on a given event.

The area where he took us felt weird. Something seemed off about it, as if the world was slightly out of alignment here, resulting in a higher level of Chaos that in mos other places. This only served to boost my powers, but I could tell that it was having a negative effect on some of the others, especially Teloxen.

"Why have we stopped?" asked Shadow, peering into the dark forest in front of us.

"Be quiet!" the man hissed "You'll draw it's attention!"

"The attention of what?" asked Teloxen, pulling his wings closer around his shivering form.

"No one is sure what it is." whispered Tammy, ducking down behind the male Crafter. "All we know is that it stays in the forest, and a green haze follows wherever the creature travels."

"Mobs also seem to avoid the area whenever the creature is spotted, thank Notch" said the male Crafter. Steve and Shadow rolled their eyes at the praise of their brother. From what I understood, the Crafters always thanked Notch for everything rather than Steve, even though Steve was the one who helped them. It had not made much sense to me at the time, although considering how Steve reacted to sudden shifts in events I was beginning to see why they would want to thank someone else for what happened.

"Michael, what have I told you about saying things like that?" scolded Cresilia.

"Sorry" he mumbles.

"Well, it's not a surprise that mobs avoid this area." said Shadow, waving his tail through the air like a diving rod, the feathers at the end of it waving like they were buffeted by a strong breeze. "There is some seriously strange magic around here. Even zombies would be able to pick up enough of it to know to stay away, what with all the barrier charms and warnings mixed in. Crafters though, well most of you can't read magic, so you just wander right in."

"Yeah, well that's great." said Michael, throwing his hands in the air in indignation, all efforts to remain quiet forgotten. "The great lord of another realm came all this way just to tell me things I already know and insult my people."

Shadow took a step towards Michael, raising his wings in anger. "Look, I am not doing this for you." he snapped. "I'm doing it as a favor to Steve. I could care less that some random Crafters are a little scared by some forest creature. There are real dangers in the world that I should be dealing with, not little ones like this."

Michael was about to snap back with some scathing comment when an eerie silence descended upon the forest.

"What's going on?" whispered Rayko, huddling close to Teloxen in an effort to treasure the younger lord that he was not alone.

"I don't know." said Steve, unconsciously drawing closer to the others "But it doesn't seem natural."

A green haze started to drift across the clearing where we stood. Small strands flowed acorss the open space, slowly at first, then faster as they were joined by larger clumps. A light breeze only served to hasten the mist's advance, sending it flying to cover the space in no time at all.

"Stay together." hissed Cresilia as the mist grew dense enough to make it hard to see. The breeze stopped, stifled by the confining force of the mist. Even the quietest of whisper seemed too loud in the stillness. So it was quite apparent when a dark shape started to move towards the clearing through the haze, the mist seeming to part before it to allow passage.

"Why do you stay?" asked the figure, stopping just far enough from the clearing that the fog rendered him no more than a dark silhouette against the green mist. For indeed the mist was green, just as Tammy had said. What was truly strange about the mist was not just that it was green, but an electric green color that pulsed with energy. Small bursts of this energy would occasionally shoot between two large concentrations of the mist like miniature bolts of lightning. When no one answered right away, the figure asked again "Why do you stay? All others flee when the mist arises, yet you do not? Why?"

I peered over the shoulders of the other lords, glancing at Rayko and Teloxen and wondering how we had all ended up at the very back of the group.

"Why have you invaded my realm?" asked Steve, stepping forwards, doing his best to look intimidating but failing miserably.

"Does the little lord light want to play?" asked the figure "He must do, being brave enough tp stand up to me like that. Is that why you stay? Do you and your friends want to play?"

Steve just looked at the figure, clearly confused at how he was acting. "No, I don't want to play." he stammered "I want you out of my realm"

The figure seemed to notice us in particular, hidden behind the rest of the group. Drawing back he asked "Is that why you have brought the Chaos kind? You think that if you sell out the lord I watch over, then I shall leave? Well, you are wrong about that." The mist around us crackled with more energy, drawing closer and more stifling as the figure advanced.

"Uh, what?" said Steve, stepping away from the constricting mist, looking towards the others to see if they had any idea as to what this strange figure was talking about.

Picking up on Steve's confusion, the figure reached out to our group mentally. When his presence touched mine, a swirling mass of emotions and memories came over me. And yet, within the chaos, I sensed a certain symmetry, a pattern that showed where things might be in a moment's time. A feeling of power washed through me, barely controlled, yet ready to be commanded to do my bidding.

I gasped as the other lord broke the link, abruptly closing off my access to the wellspring of power that had flooded through me. Snapping open eyes that I had not even been aware of closing, I surveyed the group around me with some confusion and concern. Every other lord was laying on the ground, either unconscious or panting heavily, struggling to regain control. Only me and Teloxen stood.

"Oh." said the figure, voice resonating with understanding. "Forgive me, One who bends realms to his will, and One who is divided yet whole. I was not aware that you were the ones who came. But how did you know that your comrade was here?"

"What is he talking about?" gasped Teloxen, trying to stay standing, but struggling to deal with this new situation on top of everything else.

"I think he is is talking about us." I said. The strange names the lord had used reminded me of something from a story I had heard when I was young. In it, rather than having what I considered to be normal names, each creature had a name that directly described something unique about it. "I am One who bends realms to his will, and you are One who is divided yet whole. The real question though, is who are you?" The last part I directed at the strange lord.

"You can call me Will." he said, a small smile gracing his lips as if the name held some secret significance that he found amusing. "You are not prepared to know my true name, so Will shall do for now.

Deciding to leave the matter for now, I asked, "What did you mean by comrade? We are here by chance mostly. Well, Teloxen just kind of showed up, and I was staying at Steve's place when they decided to come here, so I just kind of tagged along."

"In that case, chaos must be messing with you." said Will.

"Don't you mean fate?" asked Teloxen, looking frightened at the mention of his life being influenced by chaos. "Isn't that how it works during things like this in stories?"

"no little light lord." said Will. He raised his hand, and the mist started to concentrate around him. "Stories do often get it wrong, and anyway, this is not a story, it is real life. But what happens in real life can become a story. As such, I will use a story to show my point."

The mist finished gathering around Will, condensing in the form of long robes in various shades of bright green. The man the robes hung loosely on was rather slight, with feathery raven hair that fell down over electric green eyes. The robes hung back, draped over the lord's shoulders and printed with a pattern of feathers. Under it all, he wore a shirt with a strange green symbol of three swirls attached at a center point and radiating outwards from there printed on it. "Once, a long time ago, there were two lords. One was fascinated with the natural order of things, the other with the chaos that it brought. The two often clashed, their conflicting views ripping them apart. But what they soon learned was that when they were apart, their powers grew unstable, efforts to maintain order caused rigid conformity, and desire to cause freedom through chaos just caused instability. All efforts to remove this effect of separation failed, and eventually the two had resigned themselves to live with the fact that they would have to deal with the fact that they would have to deal with these side effects in order to avoid the other. Then, the dark aspects of each of their power manifested themselves. The two lords tried to defeat the creatures on their own, but each time they failed. When they thought all hope was lost, they found themselves together again, cornered by the two foes they could not beat alone. But together, their powers were stronger, and they were able to drive off the creatures."

Seeing our slightly off put expressions caused by the story, he said "anyway, the point I am trying to make is that chaos is not always a bad thing. Rather, it is necessary. But enough life lessons and all that. I can tell you are intrigued by mentions of a comrade I watch over, so I shall take you to him without delay. There should be enough Realmkind among your friends to eliminate any chance of a monster attack."

Teloxen and I followed him into the forest, following the strange green light that seemed to emanated from him. After a decent distance, he stopped. "Tread softly." he whispered "Your comrade heals, and any disturbance will awaken him, making the process take longer than it must." Saying this, he drew back, allowing us to view the blue winged form that lay in the clearing's center.

"It's him." whispered Teloxen, gazing at the still lord. "Sallen."

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**A/N: I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. If so, reviews are greatly appreciated. As always, questions for the characters can be left in a review or PM'ed to me. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D.**


	15. Forest of Truths

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I will be on vacation during the next two updates, so if I post at a weird time, that's why. I will be available on Fanfiction still though if you need to contact me. In other news, I am almost done with school for the summer, so I should be able to spend more time on my stories. On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel.**

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**Teloxen's POV**

My mind went blank when I saw him lying there, sleep-like, yet stiller than any lord is in sleep. Every fiber of my being told me to run to him, to help, to do whatever I could to make sure that he was okay. With every shred of my wavering resolve, I held back, trying to obey Will's request but finding it more difficult as the primal forces within me fought for freedom. When he had commanded me to leave the Nether, I had feared that I would never see him again, that Zeren would do some irreversible harm to him that kept me from ever showing myself for fear of being a reminder of Zeren. Yet now he lay before me, just as I remembered him in my mind.

"Why isn't he moving?" whispered Rayko, staggering out of the woods to stand beside us. Out of the observers, he was the only one who was not captivated by the sight of Sallen. Mirexal seemed even more effected by this stillness than I was, and I remembered that he was Sallen's younger brother. I cringed at the sudden thought that Sallen might not want me around any more now that his brother had returned. Maybe I had been nothing more than his plaything, a mere object to fill the void in his heart until the original piece was found.

_Don't think like that._ I told myself, a subtle reprimand for even daring to think such jealousy filled thoughts. Of course Sallen was not using me for his own gains. He had never done anything but be supportive and always be there when I needed him. He was someone I could depend on, someone who would not betray me simply to get ahead.

"Big brother." Mirexal choked out, trying to stay quiet but the shudders of loud sobs already running through his thin frame. He slid down to his knees, face cast downwards as he steadied himself with outstretched arms. Crystalline globes of tears began to drip from his eyes, some quickly falling groundwards, others clinging to leave damp pathways streaking across his face.

"What happened to him?" Mirexal asked shakily between two boughts of sobbing, raising an arm to wipe away the tears that clung to his face.

In answer, Will held out his arm, palm raised upwards, displaying a row of symbols inked onto his flesh just below the elbow. Each symbol depicted something different, but they were all surrounded by the same green-flecked border. With his right hand, Will pointed out a symbol that looked like a small bubbling flask with a small wisp of dark colored magic wrapped diagonally around it. Unlike many of the others, this symbol was faded, with colors starting to blend together at the edges.

"This is the symbol of One who melds the power of Chaos and science." said Will "Otherwise known as your friend Sallen. We had what is known as a defense pact in magic circles, meaning that if one of us was in need of help, the other would lend power to assist in getting them out of trouble. If you were to look at his arm, he would have my symbol there."

"What are all the other symbols for then?" asked Rayko, shaking his wings slightly to rid them of the dropplets that had been deposited by the light rain that had started to fall.

"They mark my agreements with other lords." said Will, eyes roaming across the numerous symbols that his arms displayed. "Each is a promise I have made, a promise to another lord that I dare not break."

"And what would happen if you were to break one?" I inquired, genuinely curious as to what the consequences would be. I had been subjected to some pretty serious punishment over the years, and I wondered just how bad Zeren's usual punishments had actually been in the grand scale of things.

"I would never dare to do so." said Will, looking slightly frightened at the prospect of what I had suggested, "It is against the Cosmic laws, and those who dare to break them, well things don't end well for them."

"So how do those have anything to do with what happened to Sallen?" asked Rayko impatiently. "Yeah, it's cool and all that, but I do not see the relation."

"It is though." said Will "Be patient. This won't make any sense if you don't have any background on it. How are you even here anyway, let alone conscious? When we left you, you guys were barely conscious, and it's not like we left any kind of trail for you to follow."

"Determination." sighed Rayko, flashing a smile. "You would not believe how many random clearings there are in this forest."

"Actually, I know," said Will sheepishly. "There is not exactly a whole lot of extra things to do while I was waiting here for Sallen to finish healing, so I kind of just wandered around the forest for a while, exploring it to see if there was anything less boring around here, so I actually know the area rather well."

"Just tell me what happened to my brother!" shrieked Mirexal, shoving himself off the ground to look at us with teary eyes. "Please." he gasped, his tone now much quieter and filled with anguish. "If something has happened to him that he can't recover from, just tell me outright. Don't make me sit through these pleasantries just so that you can try to spare my feelings. Believe me, it won't work."

Will looked put off by this. A little unsure of himself, he asked "What are you talking about? I don't believe I have said anything to suggest that your brother is not alright. I was merely trying to explain what happened and kept getting interrupted. As for why he is not awake now, it is just so that he can regain energy. The spell took a lot out of him, and I did not expect it to take as much energy as it did so I was not in a place where I could deal with it well at the time."

"What the heck did you do that needed so much power?" I asked, racking my brain for any spell that could possibly take that much power and coming up with none.

"Cross dimensional teleportation." sighed Will "It is only possible in rare cases, and it takes massive amounts of energy."

"So he will be okay?" asked Mirexal, brushing away large teardrops.

"Yeah, he's fine." said Will "Just sleeping at this point even. You can take him back with you. Me on the other hand, well I have to run. Things to do, people to see, that kind of stuff."

"Well, bye then." I said, watching the strange lord run off into the darkness, the trees seeming to swallow him up.

When he had disappeared from view, Mirexal stood, brushing off the mud as best as he could and squinting into the darkness where Will had gone. "Well I guess he is gone for good." Mirexal said after several minutes during which no sign of the strange man was seen. "I can't say I'm exactly devastated. He was a bit of a creep after all, being all alone in the forest and all."

"Yeah, but he helped you out at least." said Rayko "I doubt that every person would be willing to do that."

"Yeah, well it doesn't really matter does it," said Mirexal, linking his hands and stretching them over his head, wings splayed out to either side, splashing droplets of water from their tips as they gently fluttered. "I've got to get Sallen out of this rain, any ideas as to where I could go? I'm not exactly from this area and I feel like the Realmkind don't really like having me around all that much. I think they tolerate me just to be polite, so showing up with someone else and just saying that they can stay might be seen as rude by them. I'm not sure exactly, but it seems like the way that they might see it."

"Where exactly have you been for all this time that you don't understand basic social acceptability?" I asked. That kind of thing had been drilled into me by Milota when I was younger, something I had actually dedicated myself to with some enthusiasm as I knew how much it upset Zeren to be seen with someone who acted poorly, and as a kid, I had always wanted to impress my father, especially since when I did so, he actually seemed to notice me.

"Yeah, I never really was good at that kind of thing." said Mirexal "Sallen always said that there were probably more polite chickens than me, and to be honest he probably was right. But I have just been around, not really doing anything of much importance, seeing the sights, you know that type of thing."

"We should probably get back to the others." said Rayko, rubbing his arms to warm them. "This place is really getting creepy now that Will is gone. And I thought it was creepy before hand."

"Well, didn't Will say something about how he was the one keeping the mobs away?" I asked, glancing warily into the woods where the faint sound of zombies could now be heard over the patter of the falling rain.

"Okay, here's the plan." said Mirexal, pulling out what looked like a torch with a small glass sphere on the end, and shaking it until it started glowing. "Take this Rayko, and you can lead the way back to the others. Teloxen, I need you to help me carry Sallen. Grab his legs, I've got his arms and wings."

Tiptoeing over to where Sallen still lay, I slid my arms carefully under his legs, locking them and lifting upwards, twisting around so that I could still hold onto Sallen while following Rayko and the light. Glancing back over to see if Mirexal was ready, I spotted the pristine white color of a skeletal archer aproaching through the trees, bow held high as it sought out its target.

"Uh, guys." I said, not daring to take my eyes off the creature for fear that it might disappear into the forest only to turn up somewhere unexpected later on. "Look over there. Between those two really tall trees. The others looked to where I indicated, paling at the sight that greeted them when they identified it.

"Run." hissed Mirexal, not wanting to wake Sallen or alert the skeleton to our sudden movement. If Sallen awoke at a time like this, we would be left to deal with the newly appeared monsters at the same time as having to explain to a barely conscious lord where they were and what situation had brought them there. As stealthily as possible while carrying another, we snuck away, leaving the archer alone in the woods once more.

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**A/N: I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review, they are greatly appreciated and I always enjoy getting feedback from you guys. As always, questions for the characters can be left in the review section or PM'ed to me. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	16. Awakening and Leadership

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. No reviews this week, but we are over 500 views for this story, so thanks for that! Also, if you guys see any major spelling or grammar errors, feel free to PM me about it. On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft.**

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**Milota's POV**

It had been several days since what seemed like half the lords in the Nether had disappeared, leaving no trace of where they had gone save for a smashed up room and a badly injured lord who still had yet to awaken.

"Oh, Zeren." I sighed "Why do you always have to put yourself into harms way like this? Surely one of your underlings could have been called on to do whatever job you had to do that put you near Sallen. Then maybe all of this wouldn't have happened and you would still be okay. Is that why you were so upset that day love? You know you would have to deal with that man, and it put you off your stride so badly that he was able to do this to you?"

As every other time before, my questions remained unanswered and i slumped down, the small three-legged stool i sat on keeping me barely half a block above the ground. Zeren's room was quite opulent compared to most of the others, converted from what had probably been a meeting hall into a lavish room filled with the majority of the decorations that had been in the fortress at one time or another. His motionless form lay upon a pile of cushions, bandaged almost beyond recognition. Whatever force had done this to him had been very powerful, strong enough to challenge the highest lord of Chaos and do a serious amount of damage.

"How did he do this to you?" I murmured, gazing down at my wounded husband. "Such power should not be available to one so low as he." A low moan escaped Zeren's lips, his undamaged eyes flickering open for a moment before returning to stillness.

"So you still live." I sighed "At last a sign that all those potions have not been put to waste." Hauling myself to my feet, i stretched, realizing how long I had been seated in the same cramped position. "Be well my love." I said, brushing aside a few strands of his dark hair to kiss his forehead.

Leaving the room, I ran into Israphel almost at once. flinging my wings out for balance, I painfully jabbed one against the wall, the rough netherbrick scratching across the soft feathers.

"Careful," said Israphel, quickly grabbing my wrist, preventing me from hitting the ground. "We wouldn't want anything to happen to you, now would we?"

"No, we would not!" I snapped, jerking my arm away from him. Something about his new look was very off-putting to me, making him seem even more suspicious that he had before. There was something about how he acted around Zeren that made me immediately suspicious, as if he was forming his every action to make himself seem like someone Zeren should trust.

"Oh, why so snappy?" he asked, flashing a smile that bordered on terrifying given his current form.

Doing my best to maintain my composure, i said "Just tell me why you are here. I have told everyone that I am the one who is responsible for watching over Zeren, so there must be some other reason why you are here."

"Why, yes there is." said Israphel. "Some of my allies and I feel that Zeren must be replaced as leader since he shows no sign of recovering any time soon, and since we all know who he named as his heir, why should we delay in allowing me access to the power."

My mind raced as i struggled to create an excuse that would give me more time, more time to plan for when Israphel inevitably became leader and decided that Zeren's household was no longer needed. At last i said "I must consider this. Allow me to think about this until the evening, then you shall have my decision. perhaps Zeren will have awoken by then, he has stirred since you were here last."

"Fine." said Israphel calmly, as if this was what he had expected. "If that is what it takes, then who am I to argue?" turning on his heel, he marched down the corridor, leaving me outside of Zeren's room,.

"It's times like this i really wish Sallen and I say eye to eye." I sighed, pulling my circlet from my hair and running a hand through the dark locks. Sallen may have been a bother, but his potion skills were some of the best in the kind, especially when it came to healing. Indeed, to heal Zeren I had been forced to resort to the half a dozen potions he had made that were not destroyed and Vakara's life transfer spells.

Thinking back to what Israphel had said, I thought _Who are the allies he talked about? It would not surprise me if Dexos decided to follow him, but who else would?_ Pondering this, I went back in to Zeren's room, deciding that everything could wait until I was sure he was out of harms way.

**Later**

Stretching, I rubbed my eyes as i struggled to stay awake. It would not be long before I had to give my decision to Israphel, and I needed every precious moment of it to figure out how to deal with him.

"I can't let him." I whispered, standing and shaking out my wings. "Vakara," I called, sticking my head out the door to see where she was "Come up here. I need to talk to you."

"What is it?" She asked, dropping down from an upper cross beam, flaring her wings to land on the outer edge of the catwalk, holding onto the rail and looking over in expectation.

"Israphel intends to become leader," I said "and I think he will do it whether or not I approve. He will come soon, and I must know if you stand with or against me and his allies."

"I stand with you, as always" said Vakara cooly, turning away from me to lean on the rail, wings hooked over the bar, keeping her steady.

We did not wait long before they appeared, Israphel garbed in his usual dark attire and followed by a silent Decks, eyes practically glued to the floor as he walked. A mottled green cloak concealed his hands and much of his torso, making me wonder what potentially dangerous things he could be hiding beneath it.

"I see the traitor has made no attempt to hide his sudden change in loyalty" noted Vakara, her tone almost bored as she did so.

"I am no traitor!" Exclaimed Dexos, overhearing her words as they climbed the stairway to the landing where we stood. "Zeren himself is the one who made Israphel his heir, so any alliance to Israphel is done in support of Zeren' s leadership."

"Hmm." Murmured Vakara, an unconvinced sound accompanied by a glance that seemed to show all her disgust and withheld sarcasm for Dexos' situation.

"So," said Israphel, standing before me with crossed arms and a stern expression. "Do you have an answer for me?"

"Why, yes I do." I said, pretending to find great interest in my finger nails to hide my nervousness. "It is 'no way, get lost.' Is that good enough for you?"

"Oh really." Said Israphel stepping closer, his face shifting from composed to barely controllable anger "Are you sure you would not like to reconsider that?"

"Quite." I said, turning my back on him.

"What is going on here?" Demanded someone behind me. Turning around slowly, I saw an angry Zeren standing behind me, arms crossed loosely to avoid putting any pressure on his bandages.

"Milota here doesn't think I am capable enough to lead the Chaos kind while you recover." Said Israphel, glaring at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh, really." Said Zeren, turning a withering eye on me. "Why is that Milota. Is there something you do not trust about my decision?"

"Um, could I talk to you for a moment." I asked hesitantly "You know, without them listening. Not all things should be heard by those of another household."

"You are aware that they are a part of our household." Said Zeren "Well Decks isn't and Vakara kind of is, but I've got a feeling that you are talking about Israphel, and he is a part of the household."

"Yeah, well you know what I mean." I said sulkily.

Zeren looked over the others before saying "Well, okay, but only for a couple of minutes." He opened the door and ushered me in, closing it behind himself. "What is with you?" He hissed "You know I made Israphel heir, and you are not one to question me, got it?"

"I know." I sighed, messing with my hair, twisting a lock of in between my fingers. "I was just worried about you. He seems to have changed since he arrived and I am not sure he is the lord you thought he was when you appointed him. I feel like he might betray you."

"Don't be silly." Snapped Zeren "Israphel is loyal to the Chaos kind, I trust him to maintain the power of the household while I am recovering."

"Very well." I said, averting my eyes so that Zeren would not be able to see the dismay that grew within them as he spoke. Zeren was acting much stronger than I knew he should be able to given what had happened to him, meaning that he was drawing on some power other than that of his usual reserves. I only hoped that it would not come back to hurt him later on.

"Good." He said, eyes softening "I was afraid that the business with Aryto had created impassable tension between you and Israphel. It is pleasing to discover that this is not the case."

This statement brought with it the unwelcome reminder that the lord my husband had placed his trust in was the one who, no matter how unwilling or unexpectedly, had been responsible for the death of my child. Opening the door, I stepped back out of the room, quickly moving over to the side to allow Zeren to pass me. He would not want to be blocked inside his room by another at such a time, given that he wished to inform the others as to how the change in leadership was to work. A slightly annoyed Israphel and Dexos still stood outside the room, presumably wondering what the delay was. There was little doubt in anyone's mind that I would have to go along with what Zeren said whether I liked it or not. Vakara watched the two with an interested air about her, almost like she was looking at captive animals in a zoo, carefully recording their every movement to study later.

"So." Said Zeren "As you all know, I am not as strong as I could be right now. So I, as current leader of the Chaos kind, place my heir, Israphel in command of the kind until I am once again capable of regaining leadership. You are to treat Israphel as you would treat me as leader,obey him as high lord. I shall be the only word above his. Do you understand?"

A chorus of yeses followed Zeren' s secret, making Israphel the new, if only temporary leader of the Chaos kind, one of the most powerful positions in all of the realms. I sincerely hope that Zeren does not regret doing this.

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**A/N: I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Questions for the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	17. Unexpected Danger

**A/N; Hey, Ender here. I would like to thank Endervice for reviewing this week. So I had a lovely fourth of July except for standing on a sparkler. The weirdest thing that happened was when a guy drove past our fire-works display on a motorcycle with an American flag on the back. We joked that it was America from Hetalia, and it was pretty cool. On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft**

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**Shadow's POV**

"Ugh, what happened?" I murmured, dragging myself from the ground where I had somehow ended up. My water-logged wings made this harder, weighing me down and sending me splashing back down onto the muddy ground. A rain of dirt-filled droplets showered down around me, disturbed by my motion and thrown into the air. As they fell they landed on my companions, splattering them with a series of discolored spots.

"I really hate this." I grumbled after managing to pull myself up out of the mud. The rain had picked up, the drops drumming a continuous beat on the leaves before sliding down to coat the plants, making each branch and frond a potential hazard. I gasped as another branch dropped its freezing load on me, sending freezing pains through me and leaching away what little power I retained. One by one, I woke each of my companions, noting with some dismay that the Chaos lords appeared to have disappeared. I really hoped that there was some explanation for their disappearance other than the one that first came to mind. Tanya would be devastated to hear that we had found her child only for him to betray us again.

"I knew they could not be trusted." said Steve when I told him of the disappearance. His wide eyes dated back and forth, looking for any sign that the missing lords were planning something. "Notch was right, no matter what they say, they are not on our side."

"there is probably a reason why they aren't here." I said, trying and failing to calm my distressed brother.

"Steve, calm down." said Cresilia. Coming over, she wrapped and arm around Steve's shoulder, drawing him close in an embrace.

"What's his problem?" hissed Tammy, gesturing towards Steve "Does he always act like this?"

"Tammy." said Michael, his voice holding a warning that she did not seem to heed. "Just stop."

"Why should I?" she asked, turning to glare at him "I don't know about you, but I don't want my leader to be some guys who can't even keep his feelings straight."

*It might be wise for you to not say such things.* said Illusion *Some may take more offence at it than you would think.*

"Look, I don't know how you are doing that or which one of you it is." snapped Tammy, turning abruptly to look at each member of the group. "But you won't keep me from sharing my opinion. The Crafters have a right to know that their so-called leader is a scaredy ocelot who is petrified by a few missing guys."

"Stop this now!" Demanded Cresilia, eyes furious as shed looked up from her attempt to calm Steve. "There is nothing you can gain from what you are saying, and making me angry is not a good choice. I can have Creeperkind hunt you as I please, so at least consider leaving the subject be."

"Why should I?" asked Tammy flippantly "There is nothing you can do to me without bringing the wrath of Crafter kind down on yourself. That means you can't touch me."

"Why you little." hissed Cresilia, eyes narrowed towards the Crafter. "I'll show you what I can do!" Pushing Steve towards me, she stalked forward, closing the gap between her and Tammy. Michael hastily stepped back from the two women, anticipating what type of thing Cresilia might do. With a word and a quick snap of her fingers, several Creepers emerged to flank Cresilia. Nodding towards Tammy, Cresilia gave them several orders in Creeper-speak. The Creepers advanced towards Tammy, hissing threateningly as they did so.

"What are they going to do?" asked Michael, staying out of the Creepers way even though it was clear he wanted to protect Tammy.

"What she deserves." hissed Cresilia. Her voice had a strange sound, like she was speaking in time with another, full of hisses and drawn out sections.

"Cresilia." stuttered Steve, shock fragmenting his words as he saw what she was doing. A flash of silver light covered the forest, distracting everyone from what Steve had said.

*What was that?* asked Illusion.

"Does it matter?" hissed Cresilia "All that matters is restoring Creeperkind's honor. It has been snatched away by this Crafter's hate tinged words, and we will not stand for it!" She urged her Creepers forwards again impatiently, irritated at the slow progress they were making. The Creepers slowly closed in on Tammy and she backed up, eyes terrified as the Creepers locked onto her. The Creepers stopped suddenly, looking at each other and exchanging nervous hisses.

"What is it?" shrieked Cresilia. "Just get her!" Reluctantly, they continued forward. Arcs of silver sprang up from the ground as they did so, creating a barrier between the Creepers and Tammy. Furious, Cresilia ran at the strange silver fence, determined to get her. A magenta ring appeared in front of her as she ran, warping her back to a spot not far from where she had started.

"I would not do that again." said someone from the forest as Cresilia charged towards the barrier again. She whipped towards the sound of the voice, skidding to a stop several feet in front of the barrier. two figures approached the barrier, and as they did so, it became apparent that they each had another person hanging on their back. As they drew closer, the two resolved themselves into Rayko and Mirexal, the former carrying a battered lord I recognised as Sallen, and the latter carrying Teloxen.

"Let us through!" said Rayko when they reached the barrier, reaching over to poke Teloxen. "Come on, it's your spell, do something about it." Teloxen murmured something unintelligible, then a small gap appeared in the silver barrier to allow them through.

Glaring at them, Cresilia attempted to ram the fence again, this time leaping at the last moment to try to get above the teleport ring. It merely slid upwards a block to catch her, once again sending her back.

"I wouldn't do that too much more." said Mirexal, coming over to the barrier's other side. "I don't think Steve can handle much more of it." Looking over to my brother, I saw that Mirexal was right. His face was ashen and even standing still he shook as if though in a strong breeze.

"What did you do to him?" snapped Cresilia, turning her furious gaze upon Mirexal.

"It wasn't intentional." said Mirexal "He just did not stand up to continuous realm-bending very well. So if you stop trying to run down Teloxen's fence, he should be fine." Shooting a concerned glance at Steve, Cresilia reluctantly turned away from the fence. She hurried over to Steve, wrapping her arms around his waist before he could tumble to the ground.

*Is he okay?* sent Illusion.

Cresilia nodded, her rage subsiding as she focused on helping Steve. "He's okay." she sighed, "Just passed out." Glaring at Mirexal, she snapped "Why did you do that? You knew it would do this to him."

"I suspected." admitted Mirexal "Considering that Illusion used to pass out when I did it."

"Then why would you do it?" she asked.

"Did I really have a choice?"asked Mirexal "I mean carrying Teloxen around does not leave enough maneuverability to do much."

"What exactly happened to you guys?" I asked, hoping to distract Cresilia so we could just move on.

"I'll tell you in a sec." said Mirexal, reaching up to tap Teloxen's shoulder. "Hey, barrier down. You'll feel a lot better then." Teloxen looked up sleepily, then managed to bring down the barrier after a few half hearted clicks of his fingers. "So, well after you passed out." said Mirexal "We went with the guy to find out who he was guarding, found out it was Sallen, then went to get him. On the way back, we saw Cresilia here flip on Tammy and the barrier spell took a lot more out of Teloxen than he thought it would. So that's pretty much it."

"We should get back." said Michael, looking into the forest. "We don't want anything sneaking up on us."

"Alright." I said, and Cresilia nodded. A wave of power surged through the landscape, throwing us off our feet.

"What was that?" gasped Michael, looking around wide eyed.

"Portal." said Cresilia "Someone powerful made a new Nether portal around here."

"And not someone nice." gasped Mirexal, wiping away blood from his lip. "That's Chaos interacting with the portal, that's why it was so forceful."

"How perceptive." a cool voice said from deeper in the forest. A lord with pale skin and a Creeper-like face emerged from the forest, followed by a lord with blue-black wings and one with gray-green wings.

"Israphel." whispered Teloxen, shrinking back from the other lords. "And Vakara and Dexos." Looking at the front lord, I had trouble believing that he was the same lord who had left us in the Aether. But whatever was going on here, it would not be safe for the Crafters. Or any of us probably, but priority one was getting them out of there.

*Run.* I sent to Michael and Tammy *Just run. you might be able to escape.* With a single glance at me, Michael grabbed Tammy's wrist and started running. I hoped he would be able to get away before any of the Chaos lords bothered to look for them.

"naughty little lords." smirked Israphel. His eyes tracked the Crafters as they ran, following their every movement. When they reached the edge of the clearing, Israphel raised a hand. "That's far enough." he said "Get them." With a nod, Dexos darted forwards, covering the distance far faster than the Crafters had. Glancing back, Michael saw Dexos closing in on them. He turned to help Tammy who had fallen behind, but it was too late. Dexos grabbed her arm, twisting it behind her and holding it steady. Nothing seemed to happen at first, then a green stain spread out from where he held her, moving across her skin until it covered her completely. Then a low moan came from her.

"Shit." swore Rayko, looking at the transformed Crafter. "I forgot he could do that."

"What did he even do?" asked Cresilia.

"Well, he's lord of decay," said Rayko, "And he can change Crafters into zombies by touching them."

"Mirexal." I snapped "You know what to do."

"Yeah, yeah." he said, snapping his fingers. One of Mirexal's strange portals appeared in front of us, another directly in front of Michael. In his frantic running, he fell though the portal. I grabbed him as he came through the other portal, keeping him from falling back through.

"I guess you're with us for teh long haul." I sighed, looking down at the terrified, sobbing Crafter.

"Now that your little escape attempt is over, we can get to the main part of the action." said Israphel, cracking his knuckles. "Let's do this.

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**A/N: I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Now it is time for questions for the characters.**

**From Endervice to Israphel: How's it feel to be the temporary Head honcho?**

**Israphel: It feels pretty good. I am ready to do this!**

**To Endervice: I was not actually thinking of that cloak when I wrote it, but looking back it is very similar.**

**If you have any questions for the characters, then you can PM them to me or leave them in a review. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	18. Costly Escape

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I would like to thank Endervice and Kitcat in the sky for reviewing this week. Another note, I just found out the other day that one of the chapters of Ender's Journey was replaced with a duplicate of another chapter, so that is now fixed. The full note about that is in last chapter of that story now. On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Shadow's POV**

"Dexos, Vakara, show them what you can do." said Israphel, drawing his bow "But leave the Realmlords. I have to have some fun of my own after all."

"Excellent." smirked Vakara, striding menacingly towards us. "I have been wanting to get my hands on some of them for quite some time now."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" asked Cresilia, standing protectively over Steve's unconscious form.

"I think you know." she said "But foes like you, well I think it's time to use my other form."

Pulling Michael up from where he still lay sobbing, I shoved him towards a nearby tree, hoping it would cover him from that direction. As I did so I kept an eye on Vakara. Who knew what form she was talking about. A wave of blue-black light washed over her, settling on her wings. When it dispersed, her usual blue-black Chaos lord wings had been replaced with blue-black butterfly wings, a strange twisted version of those found on many of the Aether lords.

"Yes, this will do nicely." she smirked, letting her eyes roam across each member of our group "Now, who wants to go first?" The way she said it made it sound like she was suggesting anything but normal combat.

"No one does." hissed Cresilia, drawing an iron sword and pointing it at the other lord "They will not fall for your little games."

Vakara turned a withering gaze on Cresilia, taking a menacing step towards her. "You think you can keep me from them?" she asked incredulously. Looking to Israphel, she asked "May I?"

"Go ahead." he said, looking interested "There is not a lot else going on. Dexos, make sure the others do not interfere."

"Can do boss." he said. Briefly I wondered what was going on. I knew Vakara and Cresilia had always been opponents, but this seemed to be more than that. Cresilia seemed to know what was going on though, striding towards the center of the clearing.

_Watch Steve,_ she sent _She will go for him._

"How cute." said Vakara "You think you can protect him. You think that he will be safe under your care. Well, let's find out how your thoughts match up with reality."

"What's that supposed to mean?" hissed Cresilia.

"You know what it means." exclaimed Vakara darkly "He was supposed to be mine. And if your alliance had not brought down Teloxen when it did, he would have been. Then Zeren offered me a second chance and you stole him away again. But this time, I've learned." A dark glint filled her eyes, and she smiled. A wicked smile that spoke of untold horrors. "I have learned much from my lady. To take him from you, I need not break your hold on him. I only need to make him something you cannot love. To make him one of my kind ."

"You will not lay a finger on him!" hissed Cresilia.

_Are they really talking about who I think they are?_ I asked Illusion.

*It would appear so.* said Illusion.

_But how is it relevant to what we are doing now?_

_ *_I don't know, but it may prove to be more important that we think._*_

_ "_Oh, I have no need to lay even a finger on him." she said, her face a mask of twisted pleasure. "The power of my lord's conquest will shift his realm, causing changes within him. With the rise of the sand empire, your love will fall to our side. And the building blocks for this have already been gathered. It will not be long before Chaos kind has an unwavering presence in the realms again."

"Could that happen?" a mortified Cresilia asked me, fear of the unknown lacing her words.

"I don't know." I said "Shifts in a lord's realm effects anyone differently, but as weak as his magic is, it is possible."

"Then we must not allow them to stay longer." she said, turning back to Vakara "We shall drive your kind from the realm so that your influence dwindles to nothing."

"Will you now." she laughed "I control the portals from the Nether now and we can always find you. Or one of you at least."

"What are you talking about?" Cresilia demanded.

"Oh, you know." said Vakara grinning. To the Chaos lords, she asked "Didn't any of you ever find it strange that Zeren just let Teloxen leave? After all, he did have runes he could have used to stop him from doing so." Teloxen's shattered gaze went from Vakara to the marks that still graced his arms, binding him to his former lord. Tears sprang to his eyes as he realized what she was implying.

"I did this." he whispered, eyes downcast.

"We will find a way to get rid of them." promised Rayko, eyes boring into Vakara.

"It doesn't even matter." said Vakara "We control the portals. Any time a Crafter lights one, we gain another way into this realm."

"Get out now!" yelled Cresilia. When Vakara made no move to do so, Cresilia yelled "I said now!" She charged Vakara head on, swiping from right to left diagonally downwards in an attempt to wound the other lord. Vakara dodged easily, turning quickly to both avoid the blow and knock Cresilia off balance with a hit from one of her wings.

Reaching for my sword, I stepped forwards, intending to help her.

"I wouldn't do that." said Dexos, focusing on me "I would be forced to take action against you and that would end poorly for you at least."

_Stay out of this._ Sent Cresilia hurriedly, noticing my action_ I can do this. Just watch Steve._

Reluctantly I stood down, hoping that Cresilia knew what she was getting into. Cresilia used Vakara's strike to her advantage, twisting under her guard, dragging her sword upwards across the light flesh of her opponent's arm.

Recoiling from the blow, Vakara swept her blade towards Cresilia, sending drops of blood flying from her injury. They hissed as they landed, the chaos contained within them being released into the air. A drop hit Cresilia, leaving a gray splotch on her skin. Steve stirred at this and I winced. It had not crossed my mind that they were probably linked, so that the pain of one would alert the other of their companion's peril. Their fight intensified, each drawing blood in turn and decorating their makeshift arena in its macabre hues. Steve seemed to dip in and out of consciousness as they fought, each wound sustained by Cresilia bringing him a little closer to the waking world.

Looking back to the fight, I saw Cresilia sweep Vakara's legs out from under her, knocking her to the ground. A flash of triumph surged through Cresilia as she beheld her opponent before her on the ground. This finally brought Steve back to consciousness, where he sleepily surveyed what was happening. All at once he jumped up, panicked eyes focused as he ran towards where Cresilia had Vakara at her mercy.

A sudden twang and impact alerted me to what had been done. Fearful of what I would see, I looked to where Cresilia now lay sprawled next to Vakara, horrified eyes fixed on the still figure in front of her. Vakara seemed to have been knocked out, possibly by Cresilia falling on her, but that was not what captivated the attention of the lords. Rather it was the single, dark shafted arrow that protruded from Steve's side, spilling his blood out onto the forest floor. It had to have been fired by Israphel, and turning, I saw him shrug.

"Vakara may not be pleased." he said "But what's one promise in the grand scheme of things?"

"No!" gasped Cresilia, reaching a hand towards her fallen partner, but stopping its movement before she touched him, fearful of what she might find.

A wheezing breath came from Steve, terrible to hear but at least providing proof that his wound had not instantly been fatal. But the longer he lay there, the less his chances of survival were. Already I could feel the pain seeping into me through the bond I shared with him.

"I know what we can do." I said, eyes turned to Mirexal.

"I can't." he said "You know the strain will kill him in this state."

"There is no other option!" I snapped "If I channel energy through him, he should be okay."

Mirexal looked away. "It's your call." he said.

Cresilia looked up from where she sat, glaring daggers at Israphel. "You monster!" she spat "He took you in as a child and taught you, and this it how you repay him?"

"Oh, I seem to have made them mad." Israphel said in a mocking tone. "How ever shall I recover? Their anger is a stain on my perfect person." He laughed, a cackle like ice breaking in the wind.

_Cresilia._ I sent reluctantly, knowing she would not like what I proposed _I may have a way to get us to safety. But it is risky, and there is no guarantee that Steve will make it._

Looking down at her wounded husband, she sent *There is even less of a chance if we stay here. Tell me what your plan is.*

_Mirexal could use his powers to link a portal from here to the Aether._ I sent _We would be able to get out of here for sure, but I don't know if I can transfer energy __to Steve quickly enough to keep the strain from __permanently__ hurting or killing him._ I winced as I said the last bit, knowing how low his chances actually were. Steve was like the glue that held our family together, and I did not know what would happen if he did not make it.

At last Cresilia sent *I hate the idea of anything happening to him, but half a chance is better than none. Tell Mirexal to do his thing and Rayko and I will try to keep those damn lords off of you.*

Looking at Mirexal, I said "Do it."

"Where are we going?" he asked, making no comment on my choice.

"The Aether." I sighed "It is the only place that we might be able to have a chance at healing Steve before it is too late."

At some point during our conversation Cresilia had rallied Rayko and they had led Dexos and Israphel to the other side of the portal, hopefully buying us enough time to escape. Mirexal opened a portal in front of us and I immediately felt the strain on Steve increase.

_Hang on little brother._ I sent, knowing he could not hear me but hoping that he would detect I was nearby. Placing a hand on his back, I began feeding energy into his body, desperately hoping it would last until we were able to get him to safety. I ripped a long strip of cloth from the bottom of my robe, pressing it into Steve's wound, knowing that it would not stop the bleeding completely but hoping it would stop it long enough for his healing to close it partially. Most of his energy was currently being used for this, and though I knew it was dangerous for him to heal with the arrow still in him, it was too dangerous to take it out of him now and it only would lead to a quicker death.

"The others are through." said Mirexal "I can close the portal as soon as we go."

_Cresilia, Rayko, now! _I sent.

*Coming* she sent.

Scooping up Steve as carefully as I could, I watched as Rayko and Cresilia ran by, dropping through the portal.

"I'm next." said Mirexal "The transport will take a lot out of Steve and this will ensure that we all make it out."

Wordlessly, I nodded. _Hang on Steve. _I sent, looking down at him. Mirexal jumped through the portal and I followed, pouring one last burst of energy into Steve before I jumped. As I did so though, I felt something pierce through my wing, straight into my back. Stumbling, I fell forward into the portal, blacking out as I did so. The last thing I felt was the soft touch of Aether sunlight that told me I had made it through.

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**A/N: I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leavaing a review. Now for questions for the characters.**

**From Endervice to anyone**** who can answer this: So chaos lords are gods also and have their own domains? **

**Sallen: Chaos lords, Builders and Enderlords, ****and Starlords**** are all on the same level of power, and most of them have control over something, like I am a lord of Magitech, but so is Tanya, even though we are different races. ****Each realm seems to have lower lords as well who are not as strong but still have power over something, like Flare, a Crafter, as lord of Blazemen or Kaylo, an Aetherian, lord of Ambrosium.**

**I****f you have any questions for the characters, feel free to PM them to me or leave them in a review. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	19. Rushing to Rescue

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Sorry this is kind of late, but I had my wisdom teeth out and kind of got distracted, so any spelling errors are on me. Anyway, as of this posting, this story has almost 700 views and _Ender's Journey_ has 5,400. You guys are the best, thank you so much for sticking with me. Now, on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Israphel's POV**

"Well that was unexpected." said Dexos, looking between me and where my last arrow shot had ended up before being whisked away.

"Eh," I shrugged "It doesn't really matter to me. As long as they are out of here, we can work on what we came to do. If that means we have to fight them later, well oh well. Any damage we did was just a bonus."

"Vakara might not agree." grinned Dexos, nudging the unconscious woman with his foot. "She was heart set on getting Steve. Having goals like that is great and all, but I don't want angry realmlords in my base, even if they are weak. I just don't know what she sees in him."

"Maybe it's a girl thing." I said.

"I guess we'll never know." sighed Dexos "But we do have that Crafter girl I zombified."

"You can undo that?" I asked skeptically.

"Course I can." said Dexos. "Wouldn't have much of a purpose otherwise would it."

"Well, then yes, it does seem that we have made some progress." I said "Can you communicate with her in this form?"

"Yup." said Dexos proudly "Zombies can be quite helpful if you know how to talk to them and provided that they are not too old. The old ones are kind of unstable and don't make much sense."

"Good to know." I said icily "But can we get on with this? I know they just left but that doesn't mean that they will never come back." Looking hurt, Dexos nodded, turning to speak to the transformed Crafter. I honestly didn't know what his problem was. We were here to carry out my mission, not take a vacation. If he wanted to cry to his mum that I was too mean to him, well he better keep that to himself.

**Herobrine's POV**

_I really hate not knowing what is going on._ I thought. I was laying on one of the tables in Notch's palace, staring up through the glass ceiling at the semisolid clouds that hung above it. I had picked the table just to annoy Notch, knowing that he would dislike me sitting on it

We had come to this realm when we started to get some really creepy feelings from Steve. It made enough sense at the time, even though I now wondered if it could have just been something he ate disagreeing with him. I could tell that Notch was relieved to be back here though. Even without using our link, I could tell he was calmer, more relaxed, now that he knew he was in a place where he had more control of what was going on. I also secretly guessed that the wide open spaces of the Aether made him feel better. He had seemed to have a fear of small enclosed spaces since he returned, probably because he was locked in a tiny room for more than ten years, but who can say.

An arc of pain lanced through me as I stretched, sending me toppling off the table to lie in a crumpled pile next to it. For a fleeting moment I thought it was caused by strain to a long past injury, the break in my spine from when I had fought the wither. But though the pain was in a similar place, I realized that it was from no wound on my body. It was not a feeling I was familiar with, but then again I wouldn't be, for I had been the victim when it had last been felt. Teh pain was to signal that one of my brothers had been gravely injured.

Struggling to my feet, I clutched the edge of the wall as I pulled myself along, keeping myself up through sheer willpower.

"Which is is?" I asked myself in fragmented thoughts "Which brother is in danger? Not Notch, I would know for certain if that was so. Our link is strong and I know how it shatters when either of us is injured."

Upon reaching a stairway I sensed my brother growing closer, our link strengthening though closeness and partially driving away the pain.

"What happened Notch?" I gasped, forcing away the pain as best as I could.

"I don't know." he said descending the stairs to where he stood and flicking his wings, streaks of nervous color shooting across them. "But I fear that something has happened to Steve. My realm shares links with his and strange feelings come with theses."

"Shouldn't I feel something too then?" I asked in concern.

Notch gazed into the distance as he spoke, a contemplative look on his face. "The Chaos lords control your realm now." he said "You are still connected to your realm, but not as strong as before. You also side more with Shadow than with Steve, so that may have something to do with it."

"How are we going to help him though?" I hissed as another wave of pain ran through me.

"I don't know." said Notch "They could be anywhere in the Overworld, and I don't know about you but I can't teleport. At least not well. There is no way we can find and get to them in time."

"Then what are we going to do?" I asked, desperation filling my voice.

"I don't know." sighed Notch "For now all we can do is watch and wait."

It had not been long since we decided to wait and see what happened, but the continuous waves of pain from Steve made it seem like hours. I don't know what it was about me, but the pain seemed to affect me much more strongly than it affected Notch. Maybe he was just better at hiding it though, a few times his calm mask slipped and I saw the terror and pain hidden behind it.

We now sat in Notch's bedroom, waiting for either good news or the inevitable. Jeb had joined us after the first several minutes, feeling echos of Steve's pain through his link with Notch.

"Ugh, why can't this stop?" I groaned, laying across the end of Notch's bed and gazing up at the ceiling.

"Would you really want to deal with what had happened then?" sighed Jeb, rubbing his forehead in an attempt to get rid of his headache.

"Well, no." I admitted "But at least it wouldn't hurt anymore."

Notch looked like he was about to reply, but a shudder ran through him, confusion showing through the pain. "What are they doing?" he hissed, eyes squeezed closed and sweat beading on his forehead.

"I don't know." said Jeb "What are they doing?"

"Why would I know?" he hissed "It's like Steve's pain is pouring through me."

Jeb seemed to be a bit more coherent than Notch right now, so I asked "Do you have any idea what is going on?"

"Some kind of link between this realm and the Overworld." he said gritting his teeth "Notch is blocking most of it, but it can't be fun for him. It seems to get worse sometimes, so I think someone is using a nonstandard form of transporting."

Pain ran through me once more, but this time it was different than the waves of pain that had been bothering me. It felt as if something had been stabbed through a part of me I had never known about. Notch groaned, grabbing for a place on his right wing where a dark patch had formed. This was quickly followed by a breaking feeling and a wave of unrivaled pain surged through me.

**Jeb's POV**

"What am I going to do now?" I sighed, looking at the two unconscious Realmlords before me. Since Notch was no longer blocking the pain, I did my best to keep it at bay, building mental walls to fortify myself from its continuous onslaught. Even so, I knew this was only a partial feeling of the true pain shared among their family. I could not imagine what they must be experiencing right now.

"Well we thought it was teleporting." I sighed "Maybe someone has seen something. That seems like a place to start." Taking a last look at the two unconscious lords, I quickly darted down the nearest stairway, determined to find the other lords and search for Steve and Shadow. As I did so though, I smashed into someone, sending them careening backwards down the stairs.

"Whoops, sorry." said Notchie, springing back up from where he had toppled to the ground. "Any idea where Notch is, friend? Kaylo said he saw some weird stuff down in the golden apple field."

"Then why are you here instead of him?" I asked with some confusion.

"Well." said Notchie "Kaylo kind of fainted. So I just came up to tell Notch in his place."

"What made him faint Notchie?" I sighed "I am kind of in a hurry, so I would appreciate it if you just told me what was going on."

"No, just let me by." said Notchie "I'll go tell Notch. Just go do whatever you have to do." he attempted to run by and I blocked his progress with an outstretched arm.

"Notch is unconscious right now." I said "So just tell me what you found. I am not in the best mood right now, I have pain all through me that is not even mine courtesy of Notch's brothers, so just get on with it."

Notchie took a step back, fear clouding his eyes "What happened?" he asked "Did you do something to them?"

"What?" I asked incredulously "No. No, I did not do anything to them. Shadow and Steve got injured somehow and the pain knocked Notch and Herobrine out. You were there the last time it happened, right? Well that's what happened again except worse."

"Oh." said Notchie "Well, alright. Kaylo just saw some Chaos guys down in the apple field so I'll take you down there." I followed the energetic lord down to the golden apple field. What I saw there though, shocked me.

"What happened?" said Notchie in dismay "It wasn't like this before. There were only a few strange guys here before."

The scene before us was chaos to say the least. A ring of lords surrounded two figures on the ground, a pool of strangely colored liquid around them.

"Okay." I said, trying to calm myself as I gazed at the scene. I could tell that this was the source of the pain I felt and dearly hoped that the two figures were not the ones I feared they were. "Go find some golden apples, the ripe ones are up near the palace. I will go down there and well just see what I can do."

Notchie nodded, rushing off to find the needed supplies.

_Now who is down there?_ I sent to the lords gathered in the field _And are you in need of assistance?_

*Jeb, these guys are with me.*I heard Cresilia send *And whatever crazy problems you have with them, deal with it later. Steve and Shadow need help.*

"What happened to them?" I asked, aghast at the state they were in. Their wounds did not seem to be caused by the normal arrows that seemed to have been the instrument of damage. "What did this?" I asked, staring at them and realizing with dread that the strange sticky pool was from the combination of Steve and Shadow's blood.

"Obsidian arrowheads." said the strange magenta robed lord, standing and wiping smears of the blood mixture off his hands. "They shatter when they penetrate, causing massive damage."

"And you are?" I asked, bending down to peer at each wound.

"Mirexal." he said "I'll tell you more another time, but these guys need help now."

"What happened here?" I gasped upon seeing Steve's wound.

Cresilia sighed. "Shadow did that." she admitted "It was either heal it partially with the arrow in or have him bleed out. Given the choice, he figured long time damage was better than dead Steve."

"Good point." I said "All I can say though is that he should be grateful he is unconscious,. It is not going to be fun when he wakes up if he is full of obsidian shards."

I sent for a couple of Valkyrie to take them back up to the palace. There was no way I could help them down here. To the others, I said "Go through the first archway and wait in the sitting area there. I'll see you later wherever this ends up." To Notchie, I sent _Meet me in the Valkyrie __infirmary__ with the supplies. We've got some healing to do and it does not look good._

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**A/N:I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. If so please consider leaving a review. Questions for the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	20. Imprisonment and Surprise

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I would like to thank Kitcat from the sky and Endervice for reviewing this week. On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft**

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**Notchie's POV**

"Why them, why them?" I asked frantically as I darted from place to place throughout the room, searching for anything that help with healing. Sure, golden apples were great but there weren't very many and they had weird effects on some people. The Realmkind always seemed to be victims of some attack, but this was the worst I had seen. Now that I had kind of become a part of their family when I had I had accepted the position as Notch's apprentice, I felt a stronger burst of feeling for their pain. My powers surged and I struggled to control them. If I could not do so, anyone who got in my way while trying to find whoever did it to them would not be well.

Pushing that to the back of my mind, I grabbed the supplies I needed and ran towards where Jeb had told me to meet him. The sight of the injured Steve and Shadow was nauseating. Blood flowed down off the narrow tables they lay on, falling in thick ribbons before pooling in a morbid puddle.

"This is hopeless." sighed Jeb. He came over, wiping blood from his arms. "I have no idea how I am going to help Shadow, Enderkind anatomy is not something I know much about. And Steve, well he's lost a lot of blood but I don't know why he's responding the way he is."

"What's going to happen to them?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"No idea." he sighed "I can get the shards out but besides that any healing I do could cause more harm than it does good. I just don't know what to do."

"But the they'll..." my eyes widened as I realized what would happen if Jeb was not able to heal them.

"Don't say it." he warned, eyes narrowing "Look, I need you to go find someone who might be able to help them. It's the only chance we have."

I nodded, mentally trying to figure out how I could locate anyone who might be able to help. The only ones who came to mind were the other Enderlords. They would certainly know how to help Shadow and maybe know what was happening to Steve. The only thing was that I had no idea where any might be. I had never been to their realm on my own and had little to no idea of how to get there. The few times I had been there before, Ender or one of the others had taken me.

"Well, maybe I'll get lucky and Ender will be around." I said, quickly walking towards the portal to Steve's castle. Stepping into the glowstone framed portal, I held my breath, waiting to be transported to the other realm.

When I got through though, a strange sight awaited me. Guards stood before the portal, looking into its depths rather than having their backs to it as they would if they were protecting it from an outside threat. The way they stood almost made it look like...

My thought trailed off as the guard noticed me materializing in the portal. "Who are you?" one of them demanded, a man with short brown hair dressed in what seemed to be the normal uniform for Steve's castle guards. Worried, I pressed myself against the wall the portal was built in front of, my wings splayed outwards in the relatively small space.

"What's going on?" I whispered, looking at the guards with wide eyes.

"Sir, if he won't tell us who he is, we've got to take him in." the other guard said, a younger man with dirty blond hair and a far plainer uniform than the other.

"Last chance." barked the first guard "State your name or we will take you into custody."

"Notchie." I whispered "My name's Notchie. What's going on?"

"We'll ask the questions here." he said icily "Now what were you doing in the Aether? Were you helping Steve to corrupt our fair world?"

"What?" I gasped, the very idea that Steve would do something to hurt his own realm shocked me. Doing my best to cooperate, I stammered, "No, I live there."

"So what are you doing here?" he demanded.

"I just came here to look for some help. Some of my friends need help and I thought someone here might be able to help them."

"You thought that they would be able to help you?" the man demanded "You are aware of who lives here right?"

"Um, yes?" I squeaked, trying to back away from the guard but finding a wall in my way.

"So you do associate with Steve and his household." snapped the man "In that case, I have no choice but to take you into custody."

"What, why?" I gasped "I thought you Crafter guys liked Steve."

"That was before we discovered what he was doing." the man said icily "Plotting with the Nether lords against the Crafter kind and bringing corruption to the realm."

"But he would never do that!" I shouted, tears springing to my eyes "Please believe me mister, Steve loves this realm, he would never do a thing to hurt it."

Ignoring my pleas, the man turned. "Get him." he said to the other guard.

"What, no!" I gasped, shying away from him "I've got to get help for my friends really fast, I can't stay here. Please, you've got to believe me."

"I'm afraid we cannot allow you to do that." the man said "Any friend of Steve is an enemy to us." The younger guard advanced towards me, grabbing hold of one of my wings and pulling me away from the portal. Wincing from the pull, I pried my wing from his grasp, trying to throw myself back through the portal.

"Oh, no you don't." the older man said, grabbing a hold of my other wing and twisting, drawing me closer to him. Crying out, I fell to the ground, clutching at my wing where blood had begun to drip from the points the guard had grasped. "Let that be a lesson." the man snarled "The ones who oppose us will meet with much opposition." Grabbing my shoulder, the older guard pulled me upwards, forcing me down the hallway and away from the portal.

_I'm sorry Jeb._ I sent, no knowing if he would be able to hear me from a different realm _It looks like I won't be able to help you after all._

**Israphel's POV**

"So this is what you have been reduced to." I murmured, looking at the pitiful lords before me "The so called Starlord who was able to take down Teloxen's reign. But this my friend, is a very different kind of battlefield.

"How have you done this?" he spat, wings wrapped tightly around him, still bearing the jagged scratches he had obtained during his capture.

"Oh, it wasn't hard." I sighed "The pieces were already in place, all I did was provide the little push needed to change the tide of things around here."

"What could you possibly have done?" he asked his facade of confidence weakening, small tears forming in his eyes.

"It was simple." I said, smiling slightly as I recalled the sheer simplicity of how we had taken over. "Once we knew that Cresilia and Steve were not around, it was simple enough to strike a deal with the Crafter we captured that in exchange for her return from a zombified state, she would persuade the Crafters of her town that she had been put into her predicament not by the Chaos kind, a group relatively unknown to Crafters, but rather the Nether lords they had feared for years. She then led members of her community on a march to Steve's castle. When they got there and Steve and most of his household were conveniently absent upon their arrival, well let's just say that they let their suspicions get the best of them and assumed that Steve was trying to cover himself because her was working with Herobrine. So now I'm sitting pretty here while I've got Steve kicked out of the only realm he's ever called home."

Notchie's wings drooped upon hearing this and I grinned. Some lords were just so easy to read. If only every conflict was as simple and easy to deal with as this one had been.

**Jeb's POV**

"Come on, come on, where is he?" I murmured, pacing back and forth beside the tables where Steve and Shadow lay. I had done what I could to help them, but it just was not enough. "This is not good." I sighed, sitting on one of the narrow benches that ringed the room "Shadow at least has an heir if something were to happen, but if Steve doesn't make it, well there is not really anyone left to pick up the pieces." Realms without Realmkind were very dangerous, extremely unstable and prone to sudden disasters. To make matters worse, the other realms were all built around the Overworld, so any problems there would probably spill over into the other realms. The other Realmkind would have had a connection to it in the past, but having made their own realms since it had probably been transferred. Notch might have some type of connection considering how closely his realm and the Overworld were connected, but he had enough trouble running his own realm. Izra had been the only other lord I knew of to have a connection to the Overworld, but for obvious reasons he could not take over. Reluctantly I stood, knowing that I would have to tell Notch and Herobrine about what was going on with their siblings and not looking forward to it.

_ I'll wait just a bit longer_ I decided _One last look at the others will not hurt._ Trying to convince myself that I was not just putting off the invertible, I went back around the corner into the area of the room where the two Realmkind lay. Strangely the room seemed a lot dimmer than before, as if something was causing the glowstone to break. Looking over to where the two lay, I froze. A woman in a long blue dress stood before the two unconscious lords, a bright ice blue aura surrounding her and gently floating around the injured parts of Steve and Shadow.

Turning slightly, she saw me. *Tell no one of this.* I heard her send. The sending was imbued with a strange power, a power that seemed to convey peacefulness. Against my better judgment I felt that I could trust her. *It is not their time to fall. Only their potentially fatal wounds have been healed, and only enough to prevent death. The rest should heal in time.*

"But why were they in such a bad state?" I asked. Simple arrow shots, no matter how powerful, should not have been able to do this type of damage to a Realmlord at full strength. Their natural healing would have stopped it before it got to this point.

The woman sighed *Steve's realm is under threat by Chaos kind. Having no apprentice to share the cost of maintaining the realm, he had to deal with that strain in addition to that of his injuries and that's why he is like this. Shadow probably would have been in a much better state except that he was linked to Steve directly when he was injured so Steve was able to take energy from him without any limits. Even though it did not end up well for Shadow, it is probably why Steve is alive. I must go now, I have stayed too long.*

"Wait!" I called, still confused by this whole thing "Who are you? Why did you come? How did you even know what was going on here?"

*Call me Destiny.* I heard here say in one last sending before she was gone, leaving the rest of my questions unanswered.

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**A/N: So who is this mysterious new lord and why did she help? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Questions for the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me and they will be answered in a later chapter. Hopefully next week's chapter will be out on Saturday, I will do my best to do so. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	21. Aetherian Troubles

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I would like to thank Endervice for reviewing this week.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft**

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**Herobrine's POV**

** ***Wakey wakey Herobrine.* I felt someone send. Irritated that I had been disturbed, I ignored it, snuggling further down into the soft surface I was laying on, pulling the nearest blanket close around me. This was abruptly snatched away from me, exposing me to the light breeze that filled the room.

"Go away." I murmured sleepily, trying to snatch back the blanket "I jus wana sleep."

"Come on Herobrine." snapped the voice "You've got to get up now."

"Why." I groaned "It's cold out there and it's warm in here. I like it when it's warm."

"Yeah, well that's tough." he said "Now get up."

Annoyed, I forced my eyes open to glare at the source of the voice. A tired looking Notch sat on the edge of the bed next to me, rubbing bits of sleep from his eyes. Reluctantly I sat up, feeling how cold the room actually was. Before I had just thought the feeling was from being warm before, but now it was apparent that this was not normal.

"It's freezing in here." I gasped, snatching back the blanket and pulling it over myself like a cloak.

"Yeah, I've kind of lost control of the weather around here." Notch said unhappily.

"Why'd you wake me up anyway?" I yawned, the warmth of the blanket threatening to put me back to sleep.

"Some type of meeting." he said shrugging "Maybe the others will be able to explain why I feel so awful."

"Maybe." I agreed "Where is it anyway? The more quickly we do this, the sooner I can get back to sleep."

"What is it with you and sleep?" Notch demanded.

"It's cold." I explained "When I'm cold, I want to sleep more."

"Well then come on." he said "I think they are just downstairs, so get up already."

"Fine." I grumbled "But the blanket is coming with me. I'm not dressed for this kind of weather."

Notch sighed "It's not that cold."

"It is to me." I pouted.

"Yeah, but you live in the Nether most of the time. Where it is boiling hot all the time."

Reluctantly I stood, keeping the blanket around me with one hand and holding onto the edge of the bed with the other. For some reason I felt drained, as if I had worked for a full day rather than just awakening from a presumably long sleep.

Notch walked from the room and I followed. "I thought that you said they were down here." I said, seeing that there was no one in the lower area we had entered.

"Well, this is where they said they would be" he said in confusion.

"Who told you anyway?" I asked.

"Cresilia, weirdly enough." he said "I didn't know she was here."

"Alright." I sighed "I know where they are. Follow me."

"How do you know?" he asked quizzically.

"Because if you don't know better, the lower gallery seems like the downstairs area of this place."

"All right," he said "Lets go."

We shoved open one of the small side doors of the palace and went out, being careful to close it tightly behind us to keep out the mobs. Following a path of quicksoil, we went down towards the lower galleries of the palace. Notch had been right when he said that he had lost control of the weather, unless he had intended there to be several inches of snow covering the ground. Each footstep sent freezing flakes of snow up over the top of my boots, bringing a numb feeling to my feet. The cold seemed to cut right through my blanket, chilling me to the core.

_What is wrong with me?_ I asked myself. _I never get this cold._ Usually my powers kept me relatively warm, but their effect seemed nonexistent today.

The way down from Notch's palace seemed to be much longer than usual today, extending off into the distance.

"I've got to do this." I whispered, pulling the blanket more tightly around myself. Glancing at Notch, I saw that he wore cloths that were much more useful in this environment than mine. He wore a long yellow robe with gold trim, the hood of which was pushed back to partially cover his wings.

Noticing my slow pace he turned, a concerned look crossing his face. Apparently I looked about as bad as I felt for him to show that kind of worry. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"What do you think?" I gasped, the cold even more noticeable now that I was not longer moving.

Notch sighed. "Come on." He turned his back to me, gesturing that I should jump on.

"No, I'm okay." I assured him, wishing that the shiver running through me was not so apparent when I spoke.

"It's really clear that you're not, so come on."

"No, just go ahead, I'll be right behind you."

"Well, alright." he said reluctantly "If you are really sure."

"Yep, I'll be fine." At this, he started walking again, the light haze of freshly fallen snow obscuring his light colored form. Each footstep towards him was a struggle, the snow piling up around my boots and weighing me down, making an already difficult task almost impossible. The snow concealed some hidden object in the terrain, sending me crashing forwards into the cold powder.

**Notch's POV**

A soft thud behind me made me turn and my eyes widened as I saw Herobrine laying face down in the snow. His unmoving form unnerved me, and out of reflex I mentally checked our link, ensuring that he was okay. Upon doing this, I realized just how little power either of us had right then. Sighing, I walked towards my fallen brother.

_Why do you always have to do this?_ I thought, looking down at him _Your blasted pride gets in the way far too often. Any normal person would have accepted help, but you, well of course you have to make things difficult._ Wincing at the cold snow, I wrapped my arm around Herobrine's waist, turning him over onto his back. A slight blue tinge had come to his cheeks, and his pulse was slow, very slow considering how hyperactive he usually was.

"Come on, be okay." I murmured, gently tapping him to get some kind of response. It took a bit but finally he shifted, a low groan sneaking past his lips.

Sighing in relief, although I never would admit how worried I had been to him, I wrapped my arm around him, shifting his weight onto my back carefully. He was already weak enough as it was and it would not do him any good to have extra injuries because of my carelessness.

When he was safely positioned between my wings, I started off towards the lower galleries, mentally cursing whoever had decided to make such a long and winding path leading to them.

Moving with Herobrine was no easy feat. Each bump and hidden crater threw me off balance, sometimes dangerously close to an edge. Right now if I were to drop Herobrine, especially if it was off an edge, there would be no chance of catching him. The cold had seeped into my exposed wings, stiffening them and making them almost useless.

At last the tall archway of the lower galleries came into view, the soft glow of its quartz exterior a welcoming beacon in the icy wind. Stiff fingers met with smooth quartz as I pushed the door open, allowing a warm blast of air to sweep across me and Herobrine. This sudden shift in temperature made him stir and I readjusted my hold on him as his movements threatened to send him tumbling to the ground.

The sight that greeted me was not a pleasant one though. Several strange lords sat in various positions near the center of the room, all focused on some sort of sketch in front of them. Some of the lords I vaguely recognized, like a weary looking one with bluish wings seated close to a magenta robed lord. But one lord stood out among all the others, a lord I had hopped never to see again. Sure he had changed a bit in the time since we had last met, but he was still undeniably the lord who had held me prisoner. Teloxen. Never mind that it was apparently at the command of his father or something like that, he had still been the one to keep me locked up and away from my life for years.

The lord looked up with startled eyes as I approached, pulling strangely damaged wings tightly around his seated form like some kind of makeshift shield. Noticing this, a lord with bright red and gray wings looked up, concern apparent in his eyes. When his eyes met mine, he paled, nudging the blue winged lord to draw his attention to my arrival.

"Why are you here?" I hissed, stalking towards the chaos lords.

"Things happened and we had to come here." the red-winged lord said.

"And what makes you think you have permission to be here?" I asked icily, glaring at him "The last time any of your kind were here I was a prisoner and you were messing up my realm. SO you have a choice. Either get out of here right now, and I mean right now, or have a lovely stay in the prison to see hoe much you guys like it."

The lord looked at me with a mixture of scorn and disbelief. "Really?" he sighed "And how are you going to enforce that? There is only one of you and there are at least two of us who could defiantly fight back. And we wouldn't want to injure your brother there would we."

"What is going on here?" demanded Cresilia, crossing her arms as she strode into the room. Sh did not look pleased my any means. Behind her Jeb was talking to a Crafter I had never seen before, and it did not look like he was happy with whoever it was. When we failed to respond in a timely fashion, she asked "Well? Any of you have anything to say for yourselves?"

"He said that he is kicking us out." said the red-winged lord, pointing at me "We were just sitting here, minding our own business when he showed up."

"Really Notch?" she sighed "I told you to come here, not start a fight." She started when she saw Herobrine "What happened to him?"

"It's cold outside." I said "And it doesn't agree with Herobrine apparently."

"Really." she said "I could have told you that. Lords of fire rarely do well in cold places."

"Why are you okay with them being here?" I demanded, pointing an accusatory finger at the Chaos lords "You know I have no desire to associate with them."

"Well we didn't have a whole lot of other options." snapped Cresilia "It was either that or risk Steve bleeding to death."

"Wait, what?" I gasped, her words distracting me from my complaints.

"Yeah, Israphel and a couple of his buddies ambushed us while we were helping Michael, that Crafter over there, with some trouble near his town. Steve got hit by one of Israphel's arrows and it was really bad. Then Shadow got hit while we were leaving, so he has to recover too."

"That explains a lot." I said, thinking of how Herobrine and I had felt and initial wave of pain followed by another a few minutes after.

"So will you put up with the Chaos lords for a bit?" asked Cresilia "They were attacked by other Chaos lords so they have that going for them."

"I guess." I sighed "But only as long as you keep them down here and away from me."

"Good." she said "Steve and Shadow are just in the other room if you want to see them. Just leave Herobrine over there. He should be okay once he warms up a bit, but I'll keep an eye on him just in case. Oh also, Jeb wanted to talk to you, so you should go do that. I am sure he would be delighted if you saved him from continuing his current conversation.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review, they are always appriciated. Now for questions for the characters.**

**From Endervice to EnderFriend: ****Why ****are**** the ****Crafters**** displayed as suspicious, idiots that jump to the nearest conclusion, isn't there any smart Crafters like Team Crafted, CaptainSparklez or even Markiplier! why aren't those guys here to knock some sense into the other ****Crafters****!  
**

**EnderFriend: Most of the Crafters are very suspicious at this time, especially considering that they know Steve had been keeping Herobrine in his castle on numerous ocasions. Add that to the fact that few of them know about Chaos lords and the weird conflicting stories they heard when Teloxen was in charge and they are bound to jump to conclusions. There are groups like the ones you mentioned that do acknowledge that the rumors are probably not true, but Michaels town happened to not include many of that type of person, so there was nothing to stop them. ****Things will change eventually when the news spreads, but it may be too late by then if Israphel gets his stuff set up.**

**I****f you have questions for the characters, you can PM them to me or leave them in a review. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	22. Deals and Discovery

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I have some lovely new cover art for you guys, and I would love to hear your feedback on it. It will defiantly give some hints about what is going to happen later in the story. This chapter also has some mild abuse at the beginning, so be aware of that. On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Notchie's POV**

"Why are you doing this?" I screamed up towards where I hoped Israphel was, desperation lacing my voice. The dark room I had been confined in seemed to close in around me, every shadow bringing a shred of fear to my already troubled mind. Already I could sense the balance shifting dangerously towards chaos, something that could prove to be very bad. Why this had happened so quickly though, that was a mystery. Something would have had to happen to Steve's will for Israphel to become prominent so quickly and I hadn't thought that Steve would give up his realm without a fight.

When no response came to my pleas, I opened my mouth, preparing to cry out once more. The sound of an opening door at the far end of the room made me pause, eyes straining in the darkness to see what was there. A torch was lit, sending bright spots dancing before my eyes and blinding me to whatever had brought the light. My wings seemed to be delighted by this sudden arrival though, drinking in the light to refill the power that they had lost in the many hours of darkness. A soft gold glow began to saturate the room as they did so, allowing me to see who had entered the room. A tall woman with blue-black butterfly wings and a dark blue dress had entered the room, the sudden brightening of the room making her dark aura surrounding her dim.

"What are we going to do with you?" she asked, stalking towards me.

"I don't know?" I squeaked, backing away. There was something about her that worried me, a darkness beyond that of most Chaos lords.

A sharp smack rang through the small room and I fell backwards, my head impacting the wall behind me as I clutched the cheek she had smacked.

"I did not tell you that you could speak." she said icily. "You are mine now, and you will obey me."

"Wha? Why?" I slurred, the impact with the wall had made my head spin, and though I heard her words, they did not seem to make any sense.

"I said be quiet!" she shrieked, grabbing me by the front of my pastel green shirt and hauling me off the ground. This motion restricted my air, but through my brain's panic I managed to understand her words.

When I did not say anything for several minutes, she released her grip on my shirt, allowing me to slide to the floor. I gasped in massive lungfuls of air, relieved that the dark window of unconsciousness was no longer threatening to close in around me.

"Do you understand?" she asked, glaring down at me.

Not wanting to speak, I nodded, wincing as it disturbed my head injury.

"Good." she nodded "You're learning. Now, why I wanted you in the first place. Israphel owes me for making me lose another chance at getting Steve and he figured, well if they found you so important when they last fought chaos, maybe they want you back. And I might get a little reward out of it if you get my meaning."

Horror rose in me as I realized what she was suggesting "You want to trade me for Steve." I clapped my hands over my mouth at my words and turned my eyes to her in fear, stiffening in preparation for a blow.

Instead of striking me though, she laughed "Bingo little star. But before we even get to that, I have to have a little insurance. You know just to make sure you don't run off to do your own thing somewhere. Wrists upturned now."

Reluctantly I obeyed, placing my arms out in front of me palm side up. She slid her thumb sideways along the pads of her fingers on the same hand, murmuring strange words as she did so. An eerie blue light sprang up around her fingers, growing in intensity as it slid further along. I watched as she repeated this on her other hand, worried about what she was going to do. Taking hold of my wrists, she locked eyes with me, continuing her strange chant. As it began to trail off, she jammed her thumbs down onto my wrists, sending a lightning burst of pain streaking through me. The tight grasp around my wrists did not loosen as I writhed from the pain of whatever she had done, holding me in place as she looked down on me with an unreadable expression. As the pain began to diminish, she released her grasp on my wrists, allowing me to slide to the ground. I clutched my throbbing wrists close, wondering what she had done to force so much pain through them. Forcing one eye to open a crack, I glanced down to where she had cast her spell. In the center of each of my wrists, I could now see a pair of crescent moons, one black, one white, with the tips touching to form an almost perfect ring the center of this ring was filled with a midnight blue color, the same color distinct color present on her wings.

A wave of nausea ran though me as I remembered where I had seen similar symbols before. Both Zeren and Teloxen had used them to manipulate the powers of lords they sought either to imprison or control. Striding towards the door, she looked back over her shoulder and said "Come along little star. The night is young and we have much to do before the sun dares to show itself once more."

"And what if I don't?" I asked with some trepidation, knowing that at least right now she was on the high ground when it came to powers.

"Then I will be forced to show you my wrath." she said, eyes flashing dangerously. Her expression brightened quickly though and she said "But I won't have to do that will I little star. You are going to help me and when I have what I want you can go back to your little fun time good guy group."

Reluctantly I hauled myself up off the floor and followed after her, knowing I had no choice in the matter.

**Shadow's POV**

Raised voices tore me from my slumber, though it was not much of a loss considering how restless I had been. Something that I could not put my finger on had kept me from true sleep, and considering how much sleep I usually needed to feel even a bit rested, that was not a good situation to be in. Sleepily I blinked my eyes open, the white and gray landscape resolving itself into one of the wall's of Notch's castle. Memories of what had happened crashed down around me, jarring me to artlessness. Reaching around to my wings, I winced as the damaged muscles stretched, feeling the light bandages wrapped around my injuries.

I felt something shift as I sat up slightly, and looking over, I saw Steve curled on the other end of the couch I was lying on, my uninjured wing partially covering his sleeping form. Relief filled me as I realized that he had survived the risks I had put him through.

_Never again_, I thought, looking at my injured brother. _I will take a blow for you if it is needed, but never again shall I come this close to ending your life, no matter how unintentionally it was done._

Looking up at the sound of approaching footsteps, I saw Notch enter the room. Noticing that I was awake, he asked "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better." I admitted.

"How's Steve?" Notch asked with some concern, looking over to his sleeping form.

"He seems to be okay." I said, brushing my wing across Steve. "Where is Herobrine by the way? Do you know if he is alright? The pain from both Steve and my injuries must have been pretty bad and he had never experienced that kind of thing before."

"Well, he got through that bit pretty well." sighed Notch "Or at least as well as can be expected. It was bad though. Jeb told me that we were both out for a couple of days. He is kind of unconscious right now though. The cold doesn't exactly agree with him you see."

"Right." I said hesitantly, wondering why it was cold here in the first place but deciding to ask later. "Why were you two here in the first place anyway? Last I heard you were at Steve's place in the Overworld."

"We were getting some weird feelings so we came here. It is more defensible and I've got more control here. Or at least I usually do." He grimaced at the last bit.

"What happened?" I asked sighing.

"Some shit with power imbalance or something." he murmured "I lost control of a lot of my realm and it is kind of getting to me."

"Things will get better." I said.

"I hope so." said Notch "I have to go look for Notchie though, so I will see you later. Apparently he never came back from looking for Ender."

"Good luck and be careful." I sighed, resting my head on my arms. "He may be young but he is pretty strong when he is scared, so anything that could hold him up will be pretty serious."

**Sallen's POV**

"So which of them was it?" I asked Jeb as he finished his conversation with Notch, the other lord quickly leaving the room.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his look of confusion attempting to hide something more beneath it and almost succeeding.

"You know." I said, motioning for him to come to the side of the room where I sat. After all, I really didn't want the entire realm to know what I was discussing. Reluctantly he came over, perching on the edge of the bench. "Now." I said "Which one of them was it?"

"There wasn't anyone." he said stubbornly "Sure it was difficult, but I was able to heal them."

"Uh huh." I said in disbelief "Yeah, I don't think that's true. See, there is a certain order to things when it comes to healing especially, and a light lord would not be able to either a builder or an Enderlord, at least not ones with injuries like theirs. The energy required for it would kill you."

"Well, that can't be true, cause I healed Notch when he was poisoned." he said.

Irritated, I sighed again. Wondering how much longer this was going to take "Notch did not have the equivalent powers of a builder then." I explained "His time as prisoner had weakened him so it did not take as much energy to overcome his natural defense. The fact that you both have light powers helped too, his body didn't take as long to realize that you were helping not hurting him."

Jeb bit his lip before saying. "Okay, I'll admit that there was someone there. But I was sworn to secrecy so I can not tell you who."

"Doesn't matter." I said 'Being that close to powerful magic, it would not leave you unaffected. Arms out please."

"Why?" he asked, holding his arms close by his sides.

"Just do it." I sighed. When he still refused to comply, I said "Look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. I could care less what you choose."

"Well, I am not going to do it." he said stubbornly.

"Have it your way." I said shrugging. I placed my palm on his forehead, holding it flat against it and closing my eyes. Reaching out, I forced my way through Jeb's defense, his magic flinching back at the touch of mine.

*What are you doing?* I heard Jeb send, the words echoing in his mind as I forced my way into it, filled with both outrage and terror.

_You would not do things the easy way_. I said_ This is the other __alternative._

I sensed his mind in conflict again until he sent. *Alright, I'll help. Just don't do that again. Ever.*

"It was last resort." I admitted.

"But if you ever do that again." he warned "Or even try something like it, I will bring this realm down on you. And there won't be anywhere where you can avoid my wrath."

"Doesn't Notch have the say so on that?" I asked.

"Yes." he said, flashing a dark grin, "But he likes you even less since that business with Teloxen."

Carefully I withdrew myself from his mind, allowing things to return to their normal state. Wincing, Jeb rubbed his forehead, glaring at me from behind his raised hand.

"What was so important that you had to do that?" he asked.

"Well." I said hesitantly, deciding to tell him at least a bit in order to make up for what I had done "There are quite a few lords who have high power and some of them deal in the less positive areas. I just wanted to make sure that whoever healed them wasn't a lord who would use it to their advantage. Whoever it was, the spell they used probably would have left an impression you, a copy of their unique spell mark. That's why I wanted to look at your arm." Raising my arm in front of me, I gestured to the scattering of symbols that marked it. "I've gotten these from various spells." Pointing to one in particular, an electric green symbol of three spirals radiating out from a central point, I said "This one is from a lord probably on a similar level of power to the one who healed Steve and Shadow."

Jeb seemed to process this for a moment, then lifted his right arm from behind his back, holding it palm up. An ice blue diamond with a triangle sticking out over the two widest angles, like a compass symbol, was visible on it.

"Oh, it was her." I murmured "That makes sense. She always had liked light lords."

"Is everything alright?" asked Jeb.

"Yeah, yeah." I assured him "Just to warn you though, it may not fade. Lords of her power, well when they make a bond with another lord, no matter if it is accidental, those bonds are not easily broken.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. I would also love feedback on my cover art as well as the usual questions for the characters, so those can both be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	23. Vakara's Deal

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I would like to thank Dedan for reviewing this week. On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Israphel's POV**

"The answer is still no. Asking me again will just give you the same answer."

"But why?" she demanded, stalking back and forth in front of me.

"It is too soon." I said "Every day that we stay here increases my power and diminishes theirs. Eventually we will have enough power to take on all of them, but until that point we stay put. I was entrusted with this, and I am not going to mess it up."

"But you won't even listen to why I need to go." she pouted, flicking her wings angrily.

"Fine." I sighed, propping my head on an upraised hand and looking at her with feigned interest. "What's so important that you need to go to the Aether right now?"

"Well, y'know how you gave me that kid Notchie." she said, shooting me a strange smile.

"Yes..." I said hesitantly, not sure where this was going. I had felt some doubt about allowing her to take custody of the younger lord in the first place, but she was under my command so I had though she would follow my rules.

"Well, I figured that since they tried so hard to find him in the first place, they'd probably quite like to have him back. For a price of course."  
"What are you thinking?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me. I should just stand firm with my first decision, yet something in her tone dared me to hear her out, to see this through to the end.

"A little star lord with only a bit of control of his powers is worth about the same as the weakest realmlord, don't you think?" she asked slyly.

"I see." I said, pondering her words. Leering at her, I asked "And this is not just some kind of revenge on Cresilia?"

"Why would you ask that?" she asked sweetly. "I would never something as petty as that."

"Hmm." I murmured, not sure if I could trust her words. Then again, having Steve as captive in this realm would speed up my takeover, as well as providing a valuable hostage. His brothers might think twice about attacking if they knew that it could harm their brother. "Alright, you may go through. But stay hidden until a time arises for you to make your deal. And if you fail, if you are captured, do not expect rescue. You chose this mission yourself and so the consequences shall not harm the others of your kind."

"I shall not fail." she said bowing.

"We shall see." I said, watching as she turned away.

**Vakara's POV**

"Come out little star." I said, standing beside the cupboard where he was sleeping "Its time to go have some fun in the Aether."

The child poked his head out of the cupboard sleepily, unkempt hair falling down to cover his eyes. Seeing that I was there, he shrank back, eyes widening in alarm.

"No need to be shy, just come out. We must not delay. After all, you do want to go home don't you?"

He nodded slowly, distrust evident in his expression.

"Lovely." I said, grabbing his wrist and pulling him up out of the cramped cupboard. He resisted my pull at first, but a surge of power through the runes on his wrist soon had him cooperating. "Come along now." I said, releasing him. He reluctantly followed me to the portal, looking into the swirling blue mist with a mixture of longing and apprehension. Taking a step back, I shoved him forward into it, following quickly after so that he wouldn't have any ideas about running off. When I arrived in the Aether, I was greeted by the sight of several furious Valkyrie backing a terrified Notchie into a corner.

"Really?" I sighed, hand on my hip "Are you going to do this? I thought he was supposed to be on your side."

The trio of Valkyrie turned, raising their weapons menacingly.

"Well, if your sure." I sighed, retrieving a thin blade of dark colored diamond from where it was secured by my side. Seeing this as an opening to attack, the Valkyries charged, one trying to flank me on either side while the third charged me head on. "Bad move." I hissed, raising my wings and sweeping them inwards towards the center Valkyrie. The two to either side were caught up in the movement, dashing them against their companion and sending all three tumbling to the ground in a tumble of wings and weapons. "A pity." I sighed, sheathing my blade and looking down at the Valkyrie in contempt. "I thought I might find some fun up here. Come along little star, they might have called their friends and we wouldn't want for them to hurt their little angel selves trying to get me." White faced he stepped out from the corner, shivering slightly. A chill I had not anticipated filled the corridor, a strange thing in a realm known for it's sunny nature.

Pacing down the corridor at a reasonable speed, I kept an eye out for anyone. We were pretty deep in an enemy's domain, yet there seemed to be little evidence that any of the more powerful lords had been in the area for days. The Valkyrie continued to attack me, each conflict leaving a pile of unconscious or worse combatants laying in the corridor.

"Where do you think they would be?" I asked Notchie, wondering if he could be of any help. Unsurprisingly, he just shrugged, leaving me to find the lords on my own.

"Why is this place so big?" I sighed after yet another hour of wandering. "You'd thing that we would have seen something by now." Notchie still remained silent, probably hoping that I would give up if I did not find anything for quite a while.

A strange crashing noise outside the window made me pause, wondering what its source was. I brushed aside the thin layer of frost that had somehow managed to collect on the window. Upon peering out, I saw a figure below us on the balcony of a lower building, looking across towards the edge of the island.

"Would you look at that little star." I murmured "The first guy we see in this place is the very one we are looking for. How about that." Placing my hand palm out on the window, I rammed it through the window, letting a gust of freezing air into the hallway. "Come along little star." I said, standing on the edge of the broken window. I shoved him out before me, gliding down after to land softly behind the oblivious lord. Shards of broken glass littered the balcony, fragments of dishware shattered by choice or by accident.

Standing in the shadows of the balcony, Notchie shoved behind me so that he would not be seen, I heard Steve whisper to himself "Useless. Is that really all I am? Every time I'm just the one they have to save, to guard. They have their power, their realms. They don't need me. No one needs me. I just make things worse."

"Poor little lord." I said, stepping forward out of the darkness. Steve flinched at the sound of my voice, turning quickly to see who was behind him. As he did so, he was always sure to keep one hand on the rail of the balcony, using it to keep himself upright. As he turned, it revealed the bandages wrapped tight around his side. I still had not forgiven Israphel for doing that. He had promised that Steve was mine, that he would not be hurt.

"Why are you here?" he asked hesitantly, looking me over "And why do you have Notchie with you?" The younger lord had managed to creep out from behind me, sending panicked looks towards Steve and trying to edge away from me.

"So here's the thing." I said "I've got a little proposal for you, one lord to another."

"What kind of deal are you talking about here?" he asked "You are on the enemy team you know. The only reason I haven't run out on this yet is that I don't want to be a bother for my precious brothers." The disdain he felt was evident, but I could not tell if it was directed at his brothers or himself.

"Well, you see Notchie here right." I said, gesturing at him "He got himself captured by the Crafter guards over at your place, except they work for Israphel now. So I arranged to get him under my care to propose this to you. No strings attached, you come with me and I let Notchie free to play in the Aether again."

"Well." he said slowly "I don't want to join your team really. And Cresilia, well I can't just leave her."

"Just think about it for a bit." I said "Until you decide, little star here will just stick with me."

A sudden sound of running feet came from a nearby hallway, followed by the sound of Herobrine calling for Steve.

"You know what." said Steve, looking towards the doorway in annoyance "I'm going to take you up on your offer. That will show my brothers that I'm not just a little kid who needs to be looked after all the time. And hey, the Crafters seem to think that you guys are the way to go right now, so it might get me back in their good graces.

"Really." I said in some surprise. I had not actually expected Steve to take me up on my offer so easily. Apparently his brothers were actually as bad as it was rumored. And if Cresilia happened to be devastated by this, well all the better.

"Okay then, just touch palms with Notchie and I will do the rest." Notchie reluctantly raised his hands, looking at Steve in disappointment and sadness. Carefully I let the rune magic slide from where it linked with Notchie onto Steve. As soon as the runes were gone, Notchie took one look at me and took off, leaping from the balcony. Meanwhile, Steve inspected the marks that had appeared on his arms.

"So what do these do?" he asked warily "I've seen what kind of things runes can do, and ther is nothing that is going to keep me from burning these off if they are harmful."

"No, those are just confirmation of the deal. The control bit doesn't transfer. I've got your mark from it too." Raising my arm I showed him where a small rune of a torch had appeared, ringed in its customary midnight blue color.

A sudden intake of breath from the doorway made me turn. An ashen Herobrine stood in the doorway, holding a tray of food. "Steve, why?" he whispered, looking between me and his brother.

"You know why." he hissed. "Lets get out of here." he said to me "We'll never leave this place otherwise."

Slightly off put by how he had just brushed off his brother's concern, I flicked open my wings, gesturing for him to hop on. He did so, shooting a scornful look at Herobrine. As I flew off, I heard the sound of shattering dishware and various foods splattering across the quartz floor.

**Notch's POV**

"Shit." I swore, looking up towards where I could sense Herobrine's complete shock, as well as a felling I had never expected from him, complete and utter panic.

"What's up?" asked Shadow, looking up from where he was talking to Rakyo and Mirexal.

"Come on, something's wrong with Herobrine." I said. Without another word, Shadow rose.

"Where is he?"

"Up there somewhere." I said, gesturing vaguely. I followed Shadow as he raced up the stairs, trying to decipher the mix of emotions I felt though our link.

"You okay?" I sent hesitantly. When I received no reply, I followed our link to a single corridor, directing Shadow down it.

"Ready?" asked Shadow when we reached the door to the balcony at the end of the hallway. I nodded, wondering what I would find on the other side. Pulling it open hesitantly, Shadow stepped through and I followed.

Herobrine sat on the ground, surrounded by smashed dishes and spilled food.

"He left." Herobrine whispered "With her. She took him away, and he went willingly."

"Who did?" asked Shadow.

"Steve!" cried Herobrine, turning to look at us with a confused and terrified expression.

"What happened?" I asked.

"She came and he went away with her."

"Who?"

"Vakara."

"Are you okay?" asked Shadow, crouching and reaching out a hand to lay it comfortingly on his shoulder.

Herobrine flinched back from it "Stay back!" he shrieked, managing to do a short teleport to the other end of the balcony. Shadow looked ready to follow him over there, but I held an arm out to hold him back.

"Just let him go." I said "He needs to deal with this his way. I'll keep a lookout for him. You have to go tell Cresilia what happened." Shadow nodded, disappearing into the depths of the castle. Turning to Herobrine, I said "Go ahead. Just stick to uninhabited islands. I'm not up to fire search and rescue today." He nodded, his movement dimming the light that spilled from his eyes as it always did when he experienced strong emotions.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If so, consider leaving a review. Now for questions for the characters.**

**From Dedan to Me: D****o you think that if any of the characters you created fought The Batter(the main character of OFF) with all his party members backing him up, do you think any of them would win or would they get their rears handed to them? **

**Me: So I was not able to play this, but I did watch part of a ****play through****, so keep that in mind. I think that a great majority of them would get defeated. Some of the more powerful lords might be able to win with difficulty, like Sallen or Tanya, while others like Will and Destiny would do well and win with a reasonable effort.**

**If you have any questions for the characters, they can be PM'ed to me or left in a review. School also starts for me soon, so chapters may be out on Sunday more often than I'd like. You guys should also check out my new poem ****collection**** story **_**Words of the Outcast. **_**I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	24. Shatter and Shifting

**Hey, Ender here. I hope you guys enjoy the chapter. Sorry its a bit late, I had a schedule switch last week and now have to do an entire AP summer assignment before Wednesday. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Herobrine's POV**

The landscape below was bathed in a bright orange glow, the raging inferno sweeping across the island and leveling every tree it touched. Moas and flying cows fled from it, gliding to nearby islands to escape it's hungry tendrils. Sweeping my hand across the space in front of me, I unleashed another wave of flames across the frozen landscape, bursts of steam hissing upwards through the cold air as it touched the snow covered blocks.

"Why would he do this?" I yelled, my voice mixing with the hissing and crackling of the fire. "We trusted him, he was family. And he just goes and does this, leaving us for that wretched Chaos lord." Flicking my wrist, I sent a rain of sparks down on the tops of several smaller trees that had managed to evade my initial firestorm, scorching the bark and setting alight the leaves. Sighing, I descended into the burning landscape, feeling my strength increase in the blistering atmosphere. For almost any other lord the heat would have been incapacitating, but it only made me more powerful. It also stirred within me memories that I would rather have avoided, memories of the realm I had decided to claim as my home. The same realm that had in part been taken from me by the very lord who Steve had run off with. Settling down into what may have once been a large blueberry bush but was now just a heap of coals and cinders, I half-hardheartedly swiped away a few sparks that were trying to set my cloths alight.

The smell of burning fabric caught me off guard. Usually my powers kept my cloths from getting too burned, but with what had been happening recently, well it was to be expected. Twisting around to look down over my shoulder, I spotted a thin trail of smoke leaking from a spot on my cape. Twisting the garment to see the back, I patted out the flames, brushing away the embers to stop any further damage. With some dismay I looked down at the damaged garment I held, wishing that for once I had decided to deal with my emotions some other way. Usually burned cloths would be no big deal, but this, this was special. Steve had given it to me a while ago while we were both in the Overworld, and well it wasn't very often that he did something like that for me anymore. He had one like it too, the same cyan color as mine, a few shades darker than what we usually wore. The only difference was that where the bottom of mine had a stripe of flames, his had several small images of torches.

"What happened?" I murmured, resting my head on my damaged cape. "You've changed. I was only trying to help you all those times, the ones where you ran away and hid. I wanted to make you stronger, to keep you from ending up, well, like me."

*Are you okay?* I heard Notch send, a tentative message that I pushed away.

_Go away._ I sent sulkily, pulling my legs close and hugging them tight.

*You sure?* he sent *I should go check on Notchie, he had a rough time at Steve's place apparently, something about Vakara and some Crafter guards. But if you need something, I can put it off.*

_Just go!_ I sent, shoving away his sending and slashing at our link. He backed off, drawing away from our link until I could only sense a faint trail of magic linking us. Something of his words struck me though.

"Crafters." I murmured darkly "They are the ones who did this. Steve wouldn't be like this if they hadn't let the dark ones in. And we know what must happen to those who hurt family. They must pay." Standing, I brushed a wave of embers from my clothing, sending them tumbling to the ground like falling stars. Taking a step forwards, I shifted the realm around me, transporting myself to my brother's palace.

"Herobrine, what are you doing here? I thought you were off to deal with things or whatever the heck Notch called it."

"The Crafters must must have justice brought upon them." I stated, turning bright eyes on him "They did this, they hurt family. They must pay."

"Um, are you okay?" Shadow asked slowly, looking me over with concern.

"Yes, I must do this." I said.

"But the Crafters already hate you." he said in dismay "I know your kind of justice and it will just be blamed on you. They won't see it like you do."

"It doesn't matter. They must pay for what was done, and I must pay for my part in it."

"Herobrine, wait." Shadow called in distress as I walked away "You didn't do this. Stay, and we will find another way to deal with the Crafters."

"You're wrong." I said, keeping my eyes glued to the ground in front of me. "I'm the one who made him how he was. You and Notch he looked up to, even when you didn't agree. But me, I was just the one who caused trouble. I made him feel helpless, no, worse, useless. And now he's done this to show that he doesn't need someone watching over him."

I heard Shadow call something else out as I walked, but I ignored it. If I just kept walking then he wouldn't see the terror in my eyes.

_I don't want to do this._ I thought _I don't want to attack the ones Steve swore to protect. But this is the only way I can __be sure he will notice. And justice must be served. It is not the Crafters I shall mourn for in this. They brought this on themselves. Nor even myself, for I know I deserve what is to happen. No, I mourn for my little brother, who shall never be the same after this, no matter how things go. His realm will be forever changed and he along with it._ Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the portal, leaving behind my old life.

**Vakara's POV**

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" I asked. I had no idea how Israphel would react if I just brought Steve into see him, no bonds or anything. To be honest, I had been surprised a lot by Steve recently. From going with me willingly without any negotiation to his reckless command to jump off the Aether islands to avoid being spotted, and now this desire to meet with Israphel. Steve was defiantly different than he had been the last time we met, but whether that was from what had happened in the Aether with his brothers or just what was happening to his realm, I did not know.

"Well does it really matter if it is a good idea?" he snapped "I intend to do it whether it it or not. I can make my own decisions, I don't need someone else to make my choices for me." Yes, Steve had certainly changed a lot, almost to the point where I could no longer recognize him as the man he had been before. Unhappily, I followed him into the room where Israphel was waiting. Even if he had changed, I still felt the need to protect him from Israphel.

"Vakara, what are you doing here?" he asked "I thought you were off making deals." He started as he saw Steve. "Uh, oh. How did you?" he stammered. *And why are there no bindings on him?* he sent, edging away from Steve *You know that since there is so much Chaos in his realm right now, he might actually be able to use it, right?*

_Well, it might've been useful to tell me that before I left._ I sent, rolling my eyes and glaring at him.

*Yeah, well I didn't think he'd just come along with you. I just assumed that you would bind him in some way.*

"You two done yet?" Steve asked, leaning against the wall, watching in amusement.

*Oh shit, he can hear us.* sent Israphel in panic before falling silent. Being able to read sendings was not a common skill, but it was something that should have occurred to me.

"What do you want?" asked Israphel, trying to sound like had a hold on the situation. Faintly, I could feel him reaching out to the sand that he had placed in the room earlier, calling it to him.

"Oh, there is no need for that." smirked Steve. Snapping his fingers, a small barrier surrounded his feet, rising to about ankle height before ending. The thin dusting of sand that had managed to reach Steve before the barrier was constructed decayed, making Israphel wince as his connection to them was abruptly severed. "Now to business." he said, bringing his hands together in front of his body so that only the tips touched.

"How did you do that?" asked Israphel, eyes locked on where his Chaos sand had been rendered useless.

"Oh, so we're still on that are we." he said mockingly "Poor little you. All confused by a little bit of magic you don't understand. Well now you know how it feels. Little Stevie always felt that way when his brothers did their magic."

"Wait, you're not Steve?" asked Israphel "Then who are you?"

"Little Stevie's gone away, now Shatter can come out and play." he said lightly "That's me. Shatter. Little Stevie, he could never do anything right. If he could, I would have been free long ago."

"So you're like the Chaos version of Steve." Israphel muttered "interesting. Vakara, show him somewhere to stay, or let him choose if he remembers his way around this place. I've go to think."

"Fine." I grumbled "Come on Shatter or whatever your name is." he followed after me willingly enough as I showed him to some random room in the castle.

I was about to leave him sitting there on the bed when he asked "Are you the dark lady? Little Stevie thought about her a lot. Cresi did not like it when he did that, it made her jealous."

"Did he really think about me a lot?" I asked.

"Yes, it was funny. He was always so sad. I told him he would be happy if he just let me free, but he would never listen. I told him that you could be his if he just listened, but he was so unsure. Cresi was his first love and he didn't want to give that up."

"Right, well I shall see you some other time."

"Bye." he said. Rushing from the room, I stalked to where Israphel thinking.

"Vakara, what?" he asked as I stepped towards him.

"Bring him back!" I hissed, glaring at him "I want my Steve back."

"No, I can't do that." said Israphel "Even if I could change him, I wouldn't. Shatter seems to be on our side, and another Chaos lord could be useful. Especially one that our enemies will be hesitant to attack."

"Bring him back!" I shrieked "He's mine. You made a promise."

"That's it, I am sending you to Zeren. He said I was in charge on level with him, so if you don't listen, then you are disobeying him as well."

'You think I care?" I hissed "Not a bit. I answer to lady Milota, not him and she has said no such thing."

"Come on." he snapped, grabbing my wrist. Half a second later, he had transported us to the Nether, where and irritated Zeren stood before us.

"Do you find enjoyment in trying to make me angry?" he asked, feathers twitching in either anger or annoyance, I could not tell.

"He broke a promise." I hissed "And his threats don't scare me."

"I will give you one chance." said Zeren "Leave this, or you won't like what I have to do."

"I answer to lady Milota, not you." I shot "And Steve is mine. He was promised to me by wour precious Israphel here."

"Milota answers to me." said Zeren "So stand down."

"No." I spat "I demand justice."

"Void." said Zeren, turning away "She's all yours." A dark haze billowed up from the area around Zeren, settling around me.

"What's going on?" I gasped.

"I have to keep control of my lords." said Zeren "This is just my insurance." The haze pulled close around me, cutting into my skin with it's dark power.

*You're mine.* it hissed *Forget your troubles, its all behind you. Follow me now.* A powerful force touched my mind and I felt the strong pull of unconsciousness wash over me.

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**A/N: I hope you have enjoyed the chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Questions for the characters can also be left in a review or Pm'ed to me. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	25. Memories and Potions

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I would like to thank Dedan for reviewing this week. On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Shadow's POV  
**

Sighing, I leaned on the rail of the balcony, looking over the edge of the Aether at the clouds that drifted far below the islands. Several months had gone by since the day it happened, and I still could not believe what Steve had done. I hadn't seen Herobrine since the day he left the Aether, but rumors of what he had done had managed to reach even the Aether, cut off as it was from the rest of the realms. Tales of the horrifying revenge he had brought upon the Crafter kind, his idea of revenge for their betrayal of Steve to Israphel. And supposedly, his self imposed revenge for his role in it.

Flare and Ender had seen the carnage as they managed to escape the Overworld, and it had been devastating. Great swaths of forests and towns burned to the ground, embers still glowing on the most recently burned patches. This wasteland was bordered by the ever-creeping desert Israphel had infected with his sand, more of the Crafter territory falling to it each day. Notch had destroyed the portals to the Overworld the day Ender brought the news, cutting his realm off from the Chaos laced one it linked to. This had effectively trapped all the lords in whatever realm they were in, causing much confusion and putting many lords at risk. A few lords here and there had managed to get to safety in the End or through linked teleports to the Aether, but there were still many unaccounted for.

I had not seen Notch since he closed the portals. Knowingly trapping Steve and Herobrine in a hostile realm had been too much for him, and he had locked himself away, hiding from the outside world and the truth. Notchie and Jeb had done what they could to maintain the Aether, but it was clear that Notch's compromised condition was causing problems for the realm. The weather now seemed to constantly switch between scorching heat and torrential downpours, the overlap of the two making it too dangerous to stay outside. Kaylo and Ender still had the burns from when they had been caught out in it, Flare having to drag the two of them out of the burning downpour.

*You should go to him.* said Illusion *Isolation will do nothing but make things worse.*

"He's the one who locked himself away." I said "I shouldn't be responsible for that."

*I was not speaking of him.* said Illusion. His words hurt, and I frowned down at the ground under the balcony, resolving to ignore any other things he said. I was not isolating myself, the others were just busy.

*It's more than that Shadow.* said Illusion *You haven't left this room in weeks and I have to force you to eat. That's not normal.*

"Has it been that long?" I murmured, turning my gaze back to the ever shifting clouds.

*That's it!* snapped Illusion. He forced me aside, taking control.

_What are you doing?_ I asked nervously, trying to glimpse any fragment of his intent. He ignored me, blocking his thoughts carefully behind a mental wall. Panicking slightly, I tried to force him away, intending on regaining control of my body.

*Stop.* he sent *You will only hurt yourself doing that. You've let your powers grow weak, and straining them might cause you loose them.*

_But why are they so weak?_ I asked.

Illusion sighed. *You really don't remember do you? Have you seen the state of yourself lately?* Stepping to the window, he stood so that our reflection was visible in it. The person reflected back at me was someone I barely recognized. Tired violet eyes looked out from an ashen face, a haunted look to them. My robes hung loosely around me, ill fitting from the weight I had lost. The feathers of my wings had begun to stick together and were gradually shifting to a dark sickly gray.

_What happened?_ I whispered, terrified by what I saw in the reflection.

*It was after Herobrine left.* said Illusion *You were desperate. You could sense strange shift in both him and Steve, and it frightened you. Things were happening and you had no way of knowing what. So against my pleas, you created spell rings that you hoped would allow you to speak to them, for your sendings received no response. When you activated Steve's though, you were answered by a strange lord you did not recognize. He called himself Shatter, but before you could discover anything else, a dark force cut into your spell, breaking the link and forcing its way into your mind. It said 'Stay out of this Enderlord. I have chosen my victims for now, and you should feel lucky I have overlooked you. But if you or your kind continue to disrupt my plans, I shall wipe your kind from the realms forever.' The darkness withdrew, but the damage had been done. Darkness flowed within you, mixing with your magic and polluting it. It made you forget what had happened. The darkness knew that if left unattended and forgotten, the darkness would consume you, shifting your alliance or destroying you entirely.*

_Then why didn't it?_ I asked, shaken by this revelation.

*Teloxen helped you.* said Illusion *He was able to combat the darkness with one of his potions, but at a price. He merged a fragment of his spirit with the potion to balance your magic, and hopefully keep it that way for once. Notchie's had to watch him since then, the ritual made him extremely vulnerable to darkness. Magic like that, it's not to be done lightly. Once you split your spirit, it can never be whole again.*

_Why are you __telling me this? _I asked.

*I want you to understand what Teloxen had done on your behalf. He has given himself to your household, loosing his family, home and happiness in an attempt to compensate for what he did. Now he has given you a part of himself. What more will it take for you to accept him?*

_I do accept him. _I sent _He's Tanya's son after all._

*But that's not what he wants.* said Illusion *He wants you to accept all of him, not just the parts you agree with. You have to accept that he's Zerens son too, and whatever Zeren did to him, there was a time that Teloxen loved him.*

_But how can I?_ I cried, emotions I had not been aware of forcing themselves out. _He holds within him the spirit of those I hate. He broke my family and tore our realms apart. How can I forgive that?_

Illusion paused, then said quietly *You speak like you are the only one who knows pain. I watched my best friend destroy my home, then exile my people. Go to your brother, I am done with you.* He released his control on my body, leaving me standing there, gazing into the reflection I saw, trying to see the truth in it. The answer I saw scared me,

_Illusion._ I sent _Where are you? Please come back._ When I got no response, I glanced back to the reflection, triggering another wave of fear. Reaching behind me, I grabbed a flowerpot from the table and threw it through the window, destroying the frightening image of what I had become. Then I ran from the room, determined to find the one person who had a chance of understanding.

Tearing down the hallways I fervently hopped that his room was still in the same place. Reaching the doorway, I managed to stop, knocking on the door softly despite my fear.

"Who's there?" a sleepy voice murmured.

"Can I come in?" I asked, struggling to keep the desperation from my voice. The sound of footsteps drew closer, then the door in front of me was pulled open. A tired looking Notch stood on the other side, his blonde hair stringy and matted. His wings had faded to a pale cream color, and as I watched, dark streaks flickered across them, mixed with speckles of blue and red.

"What do you want?" he asked softly, the edges of his wings flicking nervously.

"Not to be alone." I admitted, my gaze slipping downwards to stare at the ground. He looked me over for a moment, before stepping aside.

"Come in." he said, gesturing into his room. Walking in, I took in the room. It was strangely pristine, almost looking unlived in. Even the bed, shoved into the back corner, was untouched, one part of the room I would have expected to be used. Looking back to Notch, I saw him lift the edge of the large painting and slip behind it. Pushing it aside, I saw Notch rummaging through a chest full of potions. Grabbing two, he turned, and when he saw me, he blushed.

"I feel safer when I can't be found." He explained. Looking around, I could tell that this was where he had been spending his time. A large pile of blankets and cushions were piled in one corner of the small room, presumably where he had been sleeping. Half full chests of various supplies filled most of the rest of the room. "So why are you here?" he asked, sitting on top of one of the chests. He twisted the top off one of his potions, looking at me quizzical. For someone who had hidden himself away, he was very calm.

"I was scared." I admitted unhappily.

"Of what?" he asked, drinking a sip of the potion.

"Of what I've become." I sighed, not meeting his gaze.

"Come here." he said, setting down his potion. I complied, sitting beside him nervously. To my surprise, he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close. "There's nothing wrong with you." he said.

"Why are you like this?" I asked, shying away from him "It's kind of creeping me out."

"What do you mean?" he asked, reaching over and grabbing his potion, then taking another sip of it.

"What is this stuff?" I asked, grabbing his other potion and examining it. There was no label on it of any kind, so I pried the top off, smelling the pale pink liquid inside. A sickly smell of glistering melon and sugar washed over me, making me gag.

"Why are you drinking this?" I asked, staring down at the strange potion.

"They told me to the first time." he said "I didn't think I'd like it, but it tasted nice. They bring it to me all the time now."

"Who is they?" I asked, worried now. Whatever this potion was, it wasn't something that was good for Notch.

*I see you decided to stop worrying about yourself now.* sent Illusion, still carefully guarded.

_Little brothers come first._ I sent firmly _I can deal with my own problems later._

Notch looked confused for a moment before saying "The one with the broken feathers, he always came. The others were different sometimes."

I felt anger well up within me. How dare Teloxen mess with my brother. "You better run Teloxen." I hissed, feeling a dark power rush through me "When I find you, you will wish you never left your little family. No one messes with my family and lives." I stalked from the room, leaving Notch cheerily staring at the ceiling.

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**A/N: Sorry this isn't longer, I wanted to be sure I posted before falling asleep. So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, consider leaving a review. Now questions for the characters.**

**From Dedan to Herobrine: You need (a little love).**

**Herobrine: Yeah...**

**Notchie: And a cookie!**

**Herobrine: Why are you here?**

**From Dedan to Shatter: Do you have a love intrest in Vakara?**

**Shatter: A bit, I don't really know her well other that what Steve thought of her. I might pursue one though, could be interesting.**

**From Dedan to me: ****so no one except Steve knew about Shatter? **

**Me: No, Steve was the only one who know about him.**

**If you have any questions for the characters, you can leave them in a review or PM them to me. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	26. Protective Revenge

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. This story has over 1K views as of today, and I'm just so glad you guys have decided to stick with me this long. I really couldn't do this without you guys. Saying this, I would really appreciate some feedback this week, school just started and I have to balance this with homework. So thanks, and on with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Teloxen's POV**

The sound of angry breathing approaching made me look up, wide eyes darting nervously around, searching for the source of the noise.

"Hello?" I whispered. The faint sound echoed through the quiet corridors, interrupted by the same breathing sound. Hoping that it was just my imagination, I looked back to the book on my lap, suddenly wishing I had chosen something other than horror mysteries to read.

"You really shouldn't let your guard down like that." said a voice from behind me. Whipping around, I saw a figure silhouetted in the doorway.

"Oh, you scared me Shadow." I said, laughing nervously as my heart raced. Something seemed very wrong with this situation, a broken balance I could not quite read. Carefully, I closed my book, setting it aside to where I hoped it would not be in the way. Looking back to where Shadow had been, I shrieked, hands flying to cover my mouth as I did so. Shadow stood only a step away from me, steely green eyes boring into my soul.

"Please don't do that again." I whispered. Wrapping my arms tightly around my chest, I could feel my heart pounding. Sure, I might like the occasional scary book now and then, but this seemed too real, like something more than accidental fear. It was almost like I was being hunted.

"Did you need something?" I whispered, my mouth strangely dry.

"I did actually." he said in an ominous voice, looking at me out of the corner of his eye. "Drink this." He held out a bottle of gray potion that I did not recognize.

"What is it?" I asked softly, reaching for it with trembling fingers.

"See, that's the thing." he said "You don't get to know what it is. After all, you didn't tell Notch what the potions you gave him were did you?" The casual tone he spoke in did nothing to soften the piercing glare he placed on me. By reflex, I flinched back, far too used to seeing a similar expression on Zeren's face.

"But, didn't they..." I trailed off as his glare intensified. Under his watchful glare, I took hold of the potion, struggling to remove the lid with my shaking hands. Managing to pry it off, I winced at the foul smell that came from it. Whatever potion this was, it was defiantly not helpful. Uncertainly I dipped a finger into the thick gray liquid, every instinct and potion-making skill screaming not to put it anywhere near my mouth. Placing the drop onto my tongue, I retched at the vile taste. My vision dimmed and shadowy shapes danced at the corners of it, taunting me with their dark dances. The clinging grasp of thousands of tiny creatures seemed to tear at my skin, but every time I turned to catch them, there was nothing to be seen.

After an agonizing minute, the world shifted back to its normal state, leaving me wide eyed and gasping. Dread filled me as I gazed down at the now sinister looking potion. If one drop of that foul concoction could do that, drinking the whole thing would probably kill me.

"I can't do this Shadow." I gasped, briefly wondering how I had ended up on the floor. I slid the potion towards him along the floor, just wanting to get the vile thing as far from me as possible.

"Pity." said Shadow, almost wistfully "It would have been so much easier to do this if you would cooperate. Ah well, looks like I'm going to have to get my hands dirty. But you know all about that don't you. The Valkyrie couldn't get all those Starlords on their own."

A knife of guilt slashed through me at his words. "How do you know about that?" I breathed, the words slipping out against my judgment. I pressed my wings against the ground as he approached, the ultimate sign of submission from a Chaos lord.

"I know many things now." he said, a dark glint in his eyes. "The darkness whispers secrets to me, keeping me informed."

*Oh, not you too!* said Illusion, a panicked sending I doubted I was supposed to hear *I already lost Zeren to this, I'm not loosing you too. Jeb, we need some help down here.*

*Sure. I do need your location though.*

*You know you could just follow the massive dark Enderlord presence.* snapped Illusion *I don't know this place very well, so I haven't got an idea where we are.*

"How did it get to you?" I asked quietly, eyes fixed on the ground "I thought my potion would fix this."

*This isn't your fault* sent Illusion.

"Then whose is it?" I shouted, tear filled eyes gazing up at Shadow.

"Yours." hissed Shadow "You messed with little brother."

*It's not your fault!* insisted Illusion *Void does this, takes emotions and turns them dark. If he wanted Shadow, he would have found a way to do this anyway.*

"But I caused it." I sighed, turning my eyes downwards once more "I didn't tell him what was going on before hand, and now it has corrupted his spirit. It let in the darkness that I had tried to keep away."

*Just hang in there.* sent Illusion *Help is coming.*

"It's too late for that." said Shadow "He must pay. Last chance, drink the potion or I must take matters into my own hands."

"Please." I whispered "Don't."

A razor shard of crystallized magic sliced past my head, embedding itself deep in the lower half of my wing. Gritting my teeth, I struggled not to cry out. The situation I was in was eerily similar to when I was cast out by Zeren, but this time there would be no escape to a friendlier realm. Only more pain. The second shard I was braced for never came, a splintering noise making me glance up to see the source of the sound. A translucent yellow barrier arced above me, blocking the incoming projectiles.

"You okay?" shouted Jeb from where he had appeared in the room, a few paces from any of the corridor entryways. Ender and Flare ran in from one of these corridors, skidding to a stop as they took in the scene. Shadow turned and glared at them in irritation.

"Back off." he spat, flicking his hand upwards and erecting a deep purple barrier in front of the others. Looking back to where I lay, he stepped forwards and drove a foot through the barrier, sending yellow shards scattering across the smooth floor. Across the room, I heard Jeb gasp, Ender managing to grab him before he fell to the ground from the sudden drain on his magic.

"Now where were we?" asked Shadow, tracing the tip of his tail across my damaged wings. Clicking his fingers together, he summoned a spear of dark energy, running the point over my wings and back. It didn't break the skin, but every touch sent tendrils of dark power leaching into me, seeking out my power and subduing it. The world seemed to fade, each object and surface replaced by a shadowy and ethereal version of itself.

**Ah, so you are mine now.** A powerful voice said** You were not so easy to sway as I would have guessed. You must take more after your mother.**

"Who are you?" I asked fearfully, looking for the source of the voice. As I looked at where Shadow had been standing, I saw only a cloud of purple, roughly shaped like an Enderlord. Dark tendrils of mist wrapped around it, and as I watched several of these detached themselves and flowed towards me.

**That is not for you to know.** Looking down, I saw that I was only a mass of mist as well, pale gray shot through with flashes of purple and black. One of the black tendrils touched me and I felt a lightning flash of pain arc through me, disrupting the gentle flow of mist.

A bright flash of light in front of me made me wince, eyes instinctively snapping closed to protect me from the source of the glare. When I managed to pry them open, another misty shape had materialized between me and Shadow. This one was dove gray, an almost white hue with a silvery sheen around it.

*Back off Void, this one's mine.* he said, sending a string of mist slicing through the dark string.

**Make me.** He hissed. A thin trail of the light mist flowed towards me, the dark flashes retreating at its presence. As it touched me, I felt a shiver of magic run through me. The dark flashed dimmed and faded as it did so, cleansing the darkness from me. Another trail snaked out towards Shadow, twinging around him and purging Void's power from him.

*Be safe Teloxen.* The silvery lord sent *You have magic vision, that is how you can see this. Be careful or else you may be lost in it.* With that, the strange lord touched my magic once more and shifted my vision back to its normal state, which showed no sign of whatever strange lord had stopped Void. Shadow sat huddled on the floor, wings draped over his shivering frame. Jeb and the others still watched from behind the purple barrier. It had lost much of its color in the moments since its construction, the power Shadow had channeled to construct it now absent. Hesitantly I stood, pausing when a sharp pain ran through my right arm from the movement. Looking down, I saw a silvery rune depicting a balanced set of scales. Ignoring it for the moment, I walked cautiously towards Shadow. The Enderlord sat there, head bowed towards the ground and eyes fixed unwaveringly on a single point. I crouched down next to him, wondering why I suddenly felt such compassion for someone who had for all intents and purposes tried to kill me.

"Why?" he asked at last, voice raspy. As he spoke, the barrier crumbled, the last of its energy spent.

"Because I told him to." said Jeb, striding closer "He was destroying the realm with his constantly shifting emotions, this was the only way to contain that."

"You could have told me." sobbed Shadow, the events of the last few minutes catching up with him at last. "I'm supposed to protect him. What else was I supposed to do when I found out something like that?"

*Not go crazy evil and try to kill the one person you knew was involved?* sent Illusion.

"Could we have told you though?" asked Jeb "Wouldn't you have opposed it just as much then? You would have said anything to protect him, even at the cost of this realm." As he spoke, he walked over and picked up the discarded potion, wincing at the smell. "I hate these things." he murmured, covering the top and stowing it in some hidden pocket to deal with later.

"Why?" asked Ender "What is it even? It sure doesn't look like any potion I've ever used."

"Potion of living nightmares." he said "Nasty stuff. And unfortunately that's from personal experience."

*What happened?* asked Illusion, interest and glee leaking from his sending.

"Valkyrie make bad classmates." he sighed "That's all I'm going to say."

"Would it really have been so bad?" murmured Shadow, wiping away tears.

"Would what have?" asked Jeb distractedly.

"Giving anything to protect Notch. At least I wouldn't have failed one brother then. And I wouldn't be alone again."

*Y'know Jeb, if you had told me what you were doing you could have avoided this.* said Illusion.

"Yeah, well I'm not some little kid who has to report his every action to you." They continued to bicker, and I tuned it out, instead turning my attention to the still distraught Shadow.

"I know how you feel." I sighed, shifting closer to his seated form. "Never being able to help I mean, always feeling one step behind."

"I've let them all down though." he whispered, squeezing his eyes tightly closed.

"No you haven't." I said, placing a wing gently over him "You've just hit a low point. You've only let them down if you stop trying." He flinched back at my touch initially before relaxing, allowing my feathers to freely brush against his.

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**A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed. As always please consider leaving a review or questions for the characters. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	27. Fire and Ice

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I would like to thank Guest for reviewing this week. On with the chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel.**

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**Milota's POV**

"I can't keep doing this." I murmured, pressing my splayed fingers against my forehead in a vain attempt to lessen my advancing headache. I had just returned from dealing with Zeren and Israphel and it had not ended well. Any word I spoke against Israphel was like sacrilege to Zeren, cautionary terms falling on deaf ears when I warned of how Israphel was just using him. To Zeren, Israphel could do no wrong, the perfect replacement for Teloxen in his heart, and I was just a reminder. A reminder of the son he could never truly tame, though Teloxen had not been my child. Something of Aryto must have made Zeren think Teloxen, and since that first day I had been seen with wary eyes by my husband.

Sighing, I trekked back to my room, welcoming the distance between me and Zeren. Much as I loved him, and I still did despite his actions, I needed some time away from him. Shoving open the door, I sighed in relief at the rush of cool air that washed over me. Sure it cost a bit of power to maintain, but it was worth it to escape the harsh environment that made the rest of the area so inhospitable.

"You still here Vakara?" I asked as I closed the door, not really expecting a response. Vakara hadn't been in her right mind since Zeren let void influence her, so she spent her time in the room we shared, away from the world and out of harms way.

"He was there again." she said, glassy eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"Who was?" I asked, deciding as always to just go with what she said and hope for the best.

"The bright one." she said "He scared Void away again, so Shatter let Steve out to play. I like it when Steve can play, but he's always so sad. Shatter has to watch him all the time too, Otherwise Void will get him."

"Will he." I murmured "Vakara, do you think you could come home now?"

"No" she said sadly "Void is back and I can never find the exit when the bright one is around. I think Void hides it from us. I wouldn't leave Steve though anyway. Then he would be alone."

"Alright." I sighed "Just tell me if anything changes, okay?"

"Hmm." she sighed noncommittally, continuing to look upwards with that same blank stare. Walking to the other side of the room, I quickly checked the spells that were bound to Vakara, the ones I had put on her to keep her supplied with energy as well as the less pleasant one Zeren had forced me to use. It bound her to this room, just in case, as Zeren put it ,"She escapes her punishment and we have to locate her to deal with it."

**Israphel's POV**

"So what are you anyway?" I asked the figure before me. He looked like Steve, but he most defiantly was not him.

"You know this is like the fourth time you've asked me that." the cyan clothed lord said, leaning back in the nest of cushions he had made on one of the couches. As he spoke one hand absentmindedly traced the dark void runes scattered across his arms, runes that further served to separate him in my mind from the Steve I had met before.

"I keep asking because I don't get it." I complained.

"Its easy Isra." said Shatter, a twinge of irritation running through me at my nickname Sure Shatter called everyone by nicknames, but it still felt strange to be called something that was so close to my old name. "Little Stevie's not all that great at magic, right? Well that power has to go somewhere. I mean it can't just float around all lonesome. So the magic forms creatures, demons some call us, that link to the lords the magic was originally intended for. Kinda like the Aetherian idea of guardian Valkyrie, but more permanent."

"So why are you here now all of a sudden?"

"Well Stevie was having a rough time, his realm was getting all messed up by Void's power, so I thought why not help a bit, get me on his good side for once. So I just jumped in until things straightened out a bit, keeping Void off him until you guys back off a bit."

"So let me get this straight" I said slowly "You are not on Void's side?"

"I'm on what ever side I want to be on." he said, his cold gaze sliding over me. "You may choose to take that any way you like."

_Interesting._ I thought _It seems like Shatter may not be the most reliable ally after all._

**Trust him for now.** Void sent **When he finds trouble, we will leave him to fall.**

**Herobrine's POV**

"He's here somewhere!" the man shouted, leading his band of Crafters deeper into the forest.

"But sir, what will we do if we actually find him?" one of the men asked hesitantly, staring with wide eyes into the forest.

_Yes, I'd like to know that as well._ I thought, peering down towards the ground from where I was perched in a tree.

"Do not worry." the first man said, seemingly the leader of their small group "The others will be ready."

_N__ow what does he mean by that?_ Expanding my awareness, I could sense that another group of Crafters was positioned in the forest a few hundred blocks from here, but there seemed to be nothing different between that group and the one below me now. _Weird._ I thought, jumping to the next tree in order to keep up with the group. _Well, if they've got something planned, I might as well play along._ Silently I dropped from the tree, doing my best to conceal the glow of my eyes until I was in position.

"What was that?" One of the Crafters gasped, wiping around to stare into the forest.

"Your worst nightmare." I hissed, drawing my diamond sword and surrounding it with a bright flame.

"It's him!" shrieked the man who had spoke, jumping backwards and nearly knocking one of his comrades to the ground.

"Stand firm men." their leader said "We must bring down this monster."

"Look at what all you kind has done." I spat "And you dare to call me the monster?" Not waiting for a reply, I darted towards the Crafters, slicing my sword down across the torso of the leftmost man. He fell to the ground with a startled cry, the smell of singed flesh rising up from the wound. To my surprise, rather than retaliating, the rest of the group took one look at their wounded comrade and ran, the one they had left closing his eyes in resignation.

"Why did they leave you?" I hissed, staring in confusion between the fallen Crafter and the other Crafters fleeing into the forest

"Just end it." the man hissed, clutching his wound.

"Why are you so eager to die?" I asked, crouching beside him "Most of your people will fight rather than just lie down like this."

"If I must die so they can live, then so be it."

"Honor among traitors, well I suppose anything can happen. Well mister 'I want to die', I have better things to do right now, so you get to live. Better hurry though, the mobs like it when there is blood around."

"You're just letting me go?" the man gasped.

"Is there a problem with that?" I asked, eyebrow raised.

"No, no." he said hastily "I just thought that you were a ruthless monster."

"Well that's what they say isn't it" I sighed, sheathing my blade "But justice must be given for what was done. Seek shelter, the worst of the mobs are not yet awake."

Irritated at myself for spending so much time talking to a Crafter, I reached out, hoping that the rest of the group had not managed to escape. "There you are." I hissed, pinpointing them drawing closer to the other group. "You aren't getting away that easily." Drawing on reserves of power, I bent the realm around me, taking a step forwards and transporting myself to just behind the first group of Crafters. "Did you miss me?" I hissed, abandoning my sword this time to throw great bands of fire at them, The iron armor they wore absorbed most of it, but what got through clearly caused some damage.

"Now!" the lead man yelled, to who I did not know. Ignoring him, I flicked another tongue of fire towards the group. Before it reached them though, each man stepped aside, revealing a second row of men, each bearing some kind of sharpened stick. The fire splattered across the armor of the first me as they moved, doing little to the metal.

"Is this really how you choose to fight a lord of fire." I asked incredulously "With little sticks? They won't last a moment against me."

"Well then try it mister high and mighty." the leader said mockingly. "If you see us as so little compared to you, they why not just take us out? Or are you afraid."

"How dare you!" I spat, feeling anger bubbling up inside of me. A wreath of fire welled up around me, expanding outwards towards the Crafters. Raising a hand, I slashed it downwards abruptly, sending a streak of flame towards the stick wielding men. The attack did nothing though, the fire fizzling out against the sticks and blue shards of frost began to creep up the wooden surface of each of them.

"What?" I gasped, staring in shock at the strange weapons.

"Still so confidant you can take us?" the man taunted "You will fall before us and we will get revenge for all of the others of our kind you have slaughtered."

I wasn't really paying attention as he spoke, my attention was still focused on the strange ice spears as the men brought them closer to me, causing my fire to diminish. They drew closer and one of the men brushed me with the spear. Immediately a thin web of frost spread across the arm it had touched, working its way further upwards. I struggled to maintain my flames, to direct them to destroy the spreading frost, but it just seemed to absorb all the power I directed into it. More men directed their spear swipes at me. The fire surrounding me flickered and died and I stumbled back from a more direct slash from a diamond sword covered in the same strange frost. I fell backwards into a crisscross of more of the frost spears, the freezing numbness coating the rest of my back. The Crafters threw me off the spears, leaving me laying there in the center of their circle.

"Take him to the city." said the leader, nudging my shivering form with a booted foot and sending waves of cold skittering through me. "The council there can decide what to do with him. As for us, today we have scored a great victory for Crafter kind."

_Please._ I sent weakly, reaching out for anyone and cursing myself for unthinkingly weakening my bonds to my brothers so much. _Help. Anyone, help._ I felt the last remnants of my link to Notch and grabbed hod of it, fortifying it with my magic before my power deserted me completely. This effort exhausted me and I felt unconsciousness pulling me down into its silent embrace.

**Notch's POV  
**

A frantic sending broke me from my hazy sleep. Opening my eyes, I saw the disorderly state of the room I lay in, a room that for some reason seemed to be located behind a painting.

_What's wrong Hero?_ I sent, concern growing when he did not respond. Standing quickly, I tripped over several empty bottles The memory of what had happened crashed over me as I gazed at one of the bottles, the remnants of the sticky purplish fluid still clinging to the inside of the bottle.

_I need answers Jeb._ I sent in irritation _And I need them now. Meet me in the main hall now._ Without waiting for a reply, I strode from the room, determined to discover what was going on.

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**A/N: I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. If you enjoyed please consider leaving a review. Now for questions for the characters.**

**From Guest to Me: ****does anyone feel like this song may fit this fanfic? **

**Me: This song defiantly does seem to fit this fanfiction well, I quite enjoyed listening to it.**

**If you have any questions for the ****characters****, they can be PM'ed to me or left in a review. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	28. Freezing and Finding

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I would like to thank Kitwarrior24 and ****Lust-Dragoon ****for reviewing this week. On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft**

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**Notch's POV**

I waited in irritation for Jeb to arrive, the bright illumination of the room boosting my power enough to shake off the vaguely hazy feeling that seemed to have settled over everything. Jeb came down the stairs from the upper floors slowly, one hand unconsciously fiddling with a gold band on his other arm.

_What's got you worried?_ I wondered _Is it just nerves from being called her so suddenly, or is there more to this?_

"I'm here." he called as he approached, his voice carrying traces of the same nervousness his earlier actions had revealed to me. "What did you want to know?"

"Oh, I think you know." I said, hopping that if I made him think I knew what he was worried that I knew, he would inadvertently tell me what was making him act this way.

"Do I?" he asked hesitantly, eyes darting downwards. "You mean the potion stuff?" he said finally.

"If that's all there is." I said, resigning myself to the fact that if there was anything else he was hiding, I was not going to find out this way.

"We had to." he said, eyes sad "No one wanted to, but it was that or loose the realm. You are very closely linked to it, and every time your emotions shifted, things around you did too."

"You could have told me before though." I said, more hurt than outraged.

A sad smile appeared on his face. "Funny, Shadow said pretty much the same thing when he found out about what happened."

"You didn't tell him?" I asked in surprise "Why not?"

"He had been having a few... issues." Jeb said cryptically "Illusion thought it would be best if he didn't know at the time."

"Well, if that's all." I said, leaving the statement open for anything he wished to add.

"Yup, that's it" he said, turning to leave. As he did, the wide band he had been fiddling with earlier slid down slightly, revealing the edge of some strange rune.

"What's that?" I asked, stepping closer to look at the strange sign. Jeb froze as I spoke, eyes darting nervously to where my gaze was directed.

"What's what?" he asked, the nervous tone returning.

"The mark on your arm." I said, wondering why he was so nervous about discussing this.

"It's nothing." he said hastily, pulling the gold band back up to cover the blue mark completely.

"Really." I said skeptically "Then I'm sure you wouldn't have a problem telling me where it came from. It's the least you could do considering all the things you've put me through."

"Well... I can't" he said, turning eyes awash with unhappiness and conflict to look at me. "But it's nothing bad, I swear."

"Why can't you tell me then?" I asked, accusation making its way into my voice. "Have you made some kind of deal with those accursed Chaos lords who have still not left my realm?"

A look I could only describe as trapped manifested itself on Jeb's features. What could be so important to him that he would risk everything like this. As if reading my mind, I heard someone send *Tell him.*

_But you told me not to._

*It's not worth your safety to keep such things from him.*

"Alright." said Jeb "I'll tell you. It all started when Steve and Shadow were wounded."

**Herobrine's POV**

The crash of a door somewhere above woke me from my uneasy sleep. Slowly I shifted so I could gaze out into the corridor through the meshwork of iron bars. The cold stares the other prisoners gave me were almost worse than the frigid temperature of the dungeon, and I looked away, not wanting them to see how much their gazes hurt. Even the ones the Crafters themselves had deemed to be traitors and outcasts hated me, despised me even. They did not understand why I had done what I did, especially since they now considered Steve to be an enemy as well. I just hopped that wherever he was, he was safe.

Turning my back to the corridor, I gave a halfhearted tug on one of the chains that bound my limbs, wincing as the cold metal bit into my skin. My powers had deserted me after the attack in the forest, leaving me completely vulnerable to every attack the Crafters directed at me. The icy touch of the strange spears the Crafters had carried seemed to have settled over me, making even the slightest breeze blisteringly cold to me. Heavy booted footsteps tromped down towards where I was bound, and I squeezed my eyes tightly closed, hoping desperately that they were not here for me. The few other times that I had been taken from my cell in the past days, weeks, I could not be sure, I had been subject to horrific public events where I could not fight back against the crowds that attacked me with every manner of weapon. Healing seemed nonexistent as well, the wounds as fresh now as they had been when I first received them.

The scrape of keys in the lock only a few feet from where I lay shattered any hope that I was not the one they had come to collect.

"Up prisoner." a harsh voice barked, the rattle of chains as he spoke telling me that my bindings had been transferred to whatever device they were using to transfer prisoners. Opening my eyes a crack, I glimpsed the robust Crafter leering down at me. "I said get up." he sneered, driving a booted foot into my ribs. Instinctively I curled away from his attack, my past injuries dangerously strained from the sudden movement.

I was harshly pulled to my feet by the chains that bound me, the many gashes from actions like this pulling open and scattering scarlet drops across the dirty floor. "We've got someone special here to see ya." the second Crafter cackled "Someone much more interesting than those people who like pokin you so much."

Against my will, I felt a tiny ray of hope. Had one of my brothers come to rescue me? More willingly than before I followed, knowing that there was little chance of what I believed being true, but hoping all the same.

I was taken to a building I had been to only once in the time since my arrival, and only for a short time. The city council meeting hall, where I had been sentenced to stay in the frigid prison until my final fate was decided. The two guards tethered me to a seat in the prisoners area before going to the door and exchanging a few whispered words with whoever was on the other side.

"It would seem that the people here to speak with you wish to do so in private." said the robust guard. "Maybe they will be merciful. My guess it not though." With that they left, leaving me to wait for my visitor to appear. A few moments later, the door opened, revealing the one who had some to see me.

"Israphel." I hissed, leering at the pale lord.

"Yes." he smirked "But I'm not the only one." He stepped aside, revealing the other lord who stood behind him.

"Steve." I gasped, stunned and infuriated to see him with Israphel.

"Not Steve." he corrected "Shatter." Quietly he sent *Little Steve is under my protection. Void seeks him but he shall not be found.*

"Why are you here?" I asked, wondering who Shatter was and why he looked so much like Steve.

"To deal with you of course." said Israphel in a casual way that did not at all match the dark grin that covered his features. "The Crafters asked me to come and figure out what to do with you. Naturally I had to accept. After all, your little burning spree was ever so inconvenient for my sand spreading. So what are we going to do with you little lord of fire? After all, you have crossed the Chaos kind far too many times."

"You don't scare me." I spat "We've always stood against the Chaos kind, why should this time be any different."

"Ah, but you see." he said "I was not a part of their forces in full last time. And now I am in charge of everything. Now tell me something. You're a lord of fire right. Well how do you feel about ice?" The involuntary flinch I did at his words told him all he needed to know. "Excellent." he smirked. "We could just dump you in some freezing water and bind you in the Void."

"I've got a better idea." said Shatter, giving me a sidelong look "He's done all these things to Crafters right, attacking them then leaving them to die in the forest, so we could do the same with him."

"And how do you propose we keep him from running off?"

"Do a frost bind on him, any biome cooler than a savanna should keep him from using his powers. With injuries like he's got now and no mob immunity, he won't last long. The mobs will just assume he is another Crafter victim."

"Ah." said Israphel. Looking pleased "That just might work. And if the other Realmlords find out, well it won't be our base they come breaking down to find him." Listening to them, I tried to think how someone who said they were trying to protect my brother could suggest such things. Or even for that matter have such detailed knowledge of how individual Realmkind powers would react to different environments.

I felt a strange force brush the remnants of the links with my brothers, feeling along one until it reached me. *I don't know if it will help, but Steve says to trust me. This will work out and you shall see your brothers again.*

"Well, what are you waiting for?" snapped Israphel "Void's not exactly a patient lord you know. Bind him and we can dump him in the swamp on the way home."

"Alright." said Shatter. Raising his hands in front of me, he chanted something in a strange mixture of what I assumed was Chaos speak and basic binding magic. Immediately I felt the chill that had settled over me increase tenfold, driving out any illusion of control I had over my powers. Sluggishly, I curled freezing limbs around myself, recoiling as it did nothing but concentrate the freezing power. Somehow I was aware of the world moving past without my consent, and looking downwards, I saw that I was being carried by Shatter.

"Drop him here." I heard Israphel say, his vice sounding as if it came from a long distance away as I struggled to fight the blackness that threatened to close around me from the extreme cold. The pain was dulled as I fell into some sort of muddy liquid that rose halfway over my prostrate form. The cold seeped out from where I lay, keeping any warmer forces that might help me. Once again I felt the darkness reach out for me and I did not resist, preferring unconsciousness to the blistering cold.

**Amelia's POV**

*Amelia.*

"Who's there?" I called, taking the little slime who sat on my lap and placing him on a cushion. Looking around, I could see no one who could have been the source of the call.

*Amelia, listen. You don't know me, but I need you to do something. Something very important.*

"Why should I trust you whoever you are?" I called to the ceiling, figuring it was as good a place as any to look when taking to some invisible force.

*You have no reason to trust my words.* The voice said *But I wish you would. All you need to do is go out into the swamp and help whatever you find out there. That is all I ask.*

"Well, I'll keep my eyes open." I said "I've got to go out to make sure the slimes aren't drowning themselves again y'know."

*Hurry.* it said *Don't fail.*

"Well, what do you know about that Mikey." I said to the little slime I had been holding earlier "Some mysterious voice wants me to go look for things in the swamp. Do you want to come with me?"

The little slime turned away, snuggling deeper into the pillow it sat on.

"Fine." I pouted "You stay here. I'll go have an adventure without you." Pulling the door open, I stepped out into the swamp, noticing with some pleasure that the fences I had built looked like they had kept the slimes out of the water. After all, it would do me no good as lady of slimes if they just kept drowning themselves in their own home.

A strange sight presented itself to me a few hundred blocks from my house. The swamp seemed to have frozen over, long tendrils of frost snaking across the water though there was not a snow biome withing a thousand blocks.

"What the." I murmured, looking at the strange occurrence. "Is this what the voice was talking about?" Walking over, I saw that all the ice seemed to emanated from a single source half submerged in the swamp. Stepping carefully from tuft of grass to rock to lilly pad, I made my way to it. What looked like a Crafter lay there, ice making a complete shell over them. The soft glow that faintly leaked from partially closed eyes told me that is was no ordinary Crafter. It was Herobrine.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If so please consider leaving a review. Amelia was Kitwarrior24's suggestion, although not exactly an OC since I designed her. Now for questions for the characters.**

**From Kitwarrior24 to Me: ****Why you are so mean to Herobrine? **

**Me: He is just one of those characters who always manages to get himself in the worst position possible. He's even worse than Steve when it comes to staying out of trouble considering that he purposefully looks for it.**

**From Lust-Dragoon to Crafter Leaders: ****You would really sacrifice your own people to bring down a monster(no offense Hero)? The role of a leader is to save people and keep them safe. **

**Leader: Sometimes you have to sacrifice a few men to save the rest.**

**If you have any questions for the characters, you can PM them to me or leave them in a review. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	29. Worry and Relief

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I would like to thank Kitwarrior24 and Lust-Dragoon for reviewing this week. On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Herobrine's POV**

I awoke to a faint scraping sound, muffled by some unknown barrier. The freezing touch of ice that had been present prior to when I fell unconscious was gone, replaced by a worrying numbness. By instinct I tried to move, to shift any part of my body, but most would not respond and those that did merely shifted slightly before colliding with some barrier, sending jerky flashes of pain through me. Strangely though, I could not bring myself to care enough to do anything about my current predicament. After all, my powers were not responding and what use would struggle me anyway. The warm embrace of unconsciousness beckoned me and I welcomed it, allowing myself to be drawn away from the frozen nightmare of my reality.

**Notch's POV**

"What's happened to you brother." I murmured, closing my eyes and reaching out for our ever present link. I found it with ease like the several dozen other times I had done this recently, knowing that I would not find anything different but wishing this was not the case. Following it with a strand of energy, I felt my magic become dusted with traces of Herobrine's before it met with an icy magic I could not bypass. A magic who's presence for some strange reason reminded me of Steve.

*Find anything?* Illusion sent. Shadow was still recovering from his encounter with Void's power, so Illusion had begun to randomly check in on other lords when Shadow was sleeping. Apparently my search interested him the most or something since he never seemed to leave me alone.

_Nothing useful._ I sent _Something strange happened to our link, but besides that I still don't know why he contacted me._

*You'll figure it out eventually* sent Illusion.

_Yeah, but what if that's not soon enough? It's been weeks Illusion, he could be in trouble._

*You know Jeb will never let you go though.* sent Illusion, voicing thoughts that had occurred to me hundreds of times *After all that's happened, he has almost as much control over the realm as you do. If he wants you here, then that's where you're staying. And you know as well as I do that he thinks you're better off without Herobrine around. He's hardly going to assist you in finding him.*

**Herobrine's POV**

An abrupt wave of shivery pain woke me from my sleep, freezing limbs unprepared for the lukewarm environment. It felt as if my skin was being pelted with hundreds of tiny needles, burning me since my powers were not present to protect me.

This pain continued for some time, but after a while it began to diminish, my limbs feeling chilled rather than burning hot. Shivering slightly but knowing that this was a sign my body temperature was returning to normal, I sat up slowly, peering into the shadows of the room where I lay, trying to figure out where I was. It was defiantly in the Overworld, I could sense that at least, but besides that I could tell nothing about the area I was in. Reaching for my link with Notch, I found that the ice bind Shatter had placed on me still blocked my powers. That didn't really rule out many places but at least it meant I wasn't in the Chaos Sands.

Footsteps approaching where I sat sent adrenaline shooting through me, which did nothing but speed up my shivering. Pulling a blanket tight over my shoulders I looked towards the source of the sound, a figure approaching from down a narrow hallway. As they came into the light, I saw that it was a woman in her early twenties with pale green hair that extended just past here shoulders. The green dress she wore clung to her slim form, the color complementing her tanned skin. I could feel the warmth as I blushed even through the chill.

"Oh great, you're awake." she said cheerily "I was wondering how much longer it was going to be."

"Where am I?" I asked, wincing as each word I spoke seemed to send a needle of pain lancing though my throat.

"You're in the swamp." she responded "Well, I suppose that's not really that helpful is it. You're about a thousand blocks from the Crafter capital if that means anything to you. Oh, by the way I'm Amelia, lady of the slimes. Course I already know who you are, but if you want to like introduce yourself I'd be totally fine with that." The speed she spoke at made me dizzy, my mind unable to take in the information so quickly after what I had been through. Slowly I raised a hand to my forehead, eyes squeezed tightly closed against the onslaught of sound.

"Slower please." I whispered, opening one eye a crack to glance at her.

"Right, sorry." she laughed nervously "I'm kind of new at this. And things recently have been a bit weird, I mean it's not every day you find a high lord frozen in your back yard."

"So you brought me here." I said softly "How did you find me though?"

"See, that's the weird thing." she said "Something told me to go back there and look for any sign of strange things. And when I went back there, well there you were, frozen under a couple inches of ice. What I don't know is who told me where you were going to be. All I know is that they were defiantly pretty powerful. They were able to send to me from a range so long I could not sense them."

_Who could have done it?_ I wondered _Who would have cared? Perhaps...perhaps Shatter was as good as his word. Or perhaps this is all a dream. A lovely, cruel, __beautiful dream to keep the harsh truth of reality from me._

"Why have you gone all quiet?" Amelia asked worriedly "Is something wrong?"

"No." I said, turning to look at her "Not really. Have you ever had that moment though, that moment between waking and sleeping where you can't tell what's real and what's not? Well that's how I feel right now. Stuck in between sleeping and waking up, not quite sure how much is real."

"Well, I'm pretty sure this is real." she said brightly.

"Now how can you know that?" I asked, giving her a quizzical look.

"Well, because in a dream I wouldn't imagine you like this. You'd be different."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, taken aback by her response. Was there something wrong with me?

"No, not like that." she laughed "I just always thought of you as more tough and scary. Not deep and focused."

"I'm not always like this." I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

"Well, that's unfortunate." she said, coming over to perch delicately on the edge of the bed. "I rather like you this way."

"You do?" I asked hesitantly, the same warm blush as before cutting through the frost.

"Yep." she said "It's kind of nice, just two of us here you know." I was about to respond when a low growl came from my stomach, bringing a whole new meaning to the word awkward. Amelia laughed, an amazing noise that echoed throughout the whole of the house.

"Come on." she said, standing and holding out a hand. "Let's find you something to eat." Compliantly I stood, taking her hand to avoid falling over. When we got to the kitchen I sat at the small table, looking across it into the fireplace that was positioned on the side of the room. Amelia had gone into one of the side rooms to grab some supplies, and without her presence I felt strangely drawn to the fire. Standing, I stepped towards it, my common sense telling me that it was a bad idea to get so close but instincts telling me it was the right thing to do. Reaching out, I placed my hand close to the fire, feeling the waves of heat flow over my fingers. Concentrating, I moved my and hesitantly into the fire, eyes closed tightly in anticipation of pain. When it did not occur, I opened them slowly, staring in happiness at where my hand was located. That was defiantly a good sign that my powers were coming back.

A shout of alarm from behind me made my attention slip, sending a burst of pain through my hand.

"Herobrine, what are you doing?" Amelia demanded, dumping the things she carried onto the counter and rushing over to inspect the damage.

"It's nothing." I snapped, holding my hand flat against my side so she would not see the burn that streaked across it.

"Now that's obviously not true." she said, snatching at my hand and trying to examine it.

"I said stop." I jerked my hand away from her.

"But you're hurting yourself." she said in concern.

"I wasn't trying to." I murmured sulkily "I just wanted to see if my powers were back."

"And are they?" she asked, crossing her arms in front of her.

"I haven't finished checking." I admitted "You kind of interrupted me."

"Well, get on with it then, I don't want to interrupt you."

"Well, okay." I said, closing my eyes. I tried my best to focus like before, but Amelia was really distracting. And it was most definably not because I was dreading what would happen if I messed up. Nope, it was most defiantly not for that reason. "It's not working now." I said sullenly.

"Can I try something?" she asked.

"Uh, sure?" I said, opening my eyes to look at her. She looked nervous for a moment, before she wrapped an arm around my back.

"Um, what are you doing?" I asked nervously.

"Hush." she said "Trust me, okay?"

"Well, alright." I said. She wrapped her arms more tightly around me before pulling me into a kiss. A wave of embarrassed fire flashed through me, hundreds of times more powerful than the ones that I had felt before. As this happened, a splintering feeling ran through me, followed by waves of power replenishing me to my former strength.

"What did you do?" I gasped, breaking away from her kiss.

"I don't know?" she said, eyes bright and face flushed. "Did you like it?"

"Well, um a bit?" I said "It was kind of unexpected. But hey," I exclaimed "My powers are back. Apparently whatever spell it was did not take into account how I would react to things like that. Course I never really thought about it either, so go figure."

"Well, I'm glad it helped." she said blushing.

"Oh, right, there's something I need to do real quick, just give me a minute." Reaching out, I followed my link to Notch, delighted to find that it was no longer blocked. Moving along it with a trace of magic, I found Notch's presence, traces from it that told me he was in a light sleep.

_Wake up._ I sent.

*Hmm... wha?* I heard, then a more coherent sending full of conflicting emotions and poorly concealed concern that practically dripped from it. *You're okay!*

_Course I am._ I sent _I'm more than capable of taking care of myself._

*Hmm* he sent noncommittally. *Just come home. Things are weird around here right now.*

_Alright._ I sent _I may have to bring someone with me though._ Something occurred to me though. _How am I going to get there. I heard that you guys have locked down the portals_.

*Don't worry about that, I'll figure something out. Just come back.*

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**A/N: I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review.**

**Now for questions for the characters. **

**From Lust-dragoon to me: ****You'd think Herobrine could adapt to cold, i mean in books and other things i read things with ****weaknesses**** will ****usually**** overcome them and end up being stronger. **

**Me: He isn't usually as effected by ice as he was, but the amount he was using his powers messed him up a bit. He would do a lot better if he hadn't been ambushed. The fact that Notch's powers were weak at the time didn't help either.**

**If you have any questions for the characters, you can PM them to me or leave them in a review. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	30. The Price of Helping

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Notch's POV**

"Come on, why can't we open a portal to the Overworld?" I wheedled. It had been several hours since Herobrine had contacted me, and no matter how much I persisted, Jeb refused to concede to my request. Personally, I didn't find it all that unreasonable. Open a single portal to some out of the way location, let Herobrine and possibly his companion in, then close it and move on. But for some reason Jeb just refused to go along with it. Normally this would not have been a problem, but Jeb's powers had strengthened again, leaving me without control over the portals. So here I was, reduced to practically begging for assistance in my own realm.

"Stop Notch. Look," he sighed "We can't risk anything getting into the Aether. Besides, your brother's been causing a lot of grief for the Crafters lately. You should just let him go. Associating with him isn't doing anything for you." With that he left, leaving me there stunned by his words. How could he even suggest something like that. Family was family, you sure as heck might not like it all the time but you had to stick together.

"It's not right." I heard someone state behind me. Startled, I whipped around to stare at the source of the sound, trying to suppress the bright flashes of color my emotions sent shooting across my wings. One of those accursed Chaos lords stood leaned against the wall, looking at me with guarded sympathy. His magenta coloring triggering something that I had not remembered when I first saw him. He was the one Steve had with him that day when Herobrine and I were told off for acting like kids.

"What do you want?" I snapped, not wanting anything to do with a Chaos lord.

"Nothing much." he said shrugging. "I just heard a bit of your conversation with Jeb there. Seems to me like you're in need of a bit of transportation assistance, which by the way, I would have no problem providing."

"What are you suggesting?" I asked, looking him over suspiciously through narrowed eyes.

"Look dude, I'm gonna tell it to you straight. I know you don't like Chaos kind very much, and that's cool, it's your life and all that. But you're the one trying to get your brother home right now, so take a second to listen to what I'm offering before just saying no. Alright?"

"Fine." I grumbled "You're not like the other Chaos lords are you?"

"Nah, like I've told you guys, I'm part of the group they think isn't good enough to play with their crew. Only reason Sallen wasn't with me at the time was he was protecting me. So on the more current topic, what exactly do you need done to get your stray brother up here?"

"No idea, you're the one who suggested it." I said, twitching my wings in irritation. Dealing with Chaos lords still bothered me.

"Well, from what I've gathered, he's in the Overworld somewhere with one of his new pals. If you can get me the general area he's in, it'll be easy-peasy to stick down a portal here and one there so they can get here."

"Wait." I said uneasily "I remember what happened last time you used your portals for something like this. I ended up passed out for like a week, and Steve almost died. Can you be sure that won't happen again?"

"Well, let's see." he murmured, eyes staring blankly off into space for a moment. When he snapped back to awareness, he grinned. "Steve shouldn't have any problem with it, it's you who might have a bit of a difficult time actually. He's gotten a whole lot stronger since last time."

"Really?" I asked in some confusion. How had Steve managed to get so much power. Uneasily I considered the fact that he might have actually considered joining the Chaos kind to obtain powers on the same level as me, Herobrine and Shadow. "Will I be alright if we keep the teleport short?" I asked, trying to move past the fact that Steve was apparently stronger than me.

"Should do." said Mirexal "As long as you don't try to do anything crazy at the same time." I acknowledged him with a nod, reaching out to Herobrine.

_Hero, I've got a way for you to come home, I just need your coordinates if that's possible._

*Yeah, alright, hang on.* he sent, his overly powerful sending making me wince. He obviously had an excess of power right now and it was spilling over into his sendings.

_Quiet please, we don't need the whole of the realm knowing._ I sent, cautiously reaching out to make sure Jeb had not overheard.

*Right, my bad.* he sent, his sending much quieter than it had been before.

**Israphel's POV**

Something was bothering me right now, something I could not explain. I could feel a powerful magic building just outside the range I could sense, but no lord I could think of matched it. At first I had thought it was one of the Nether lords, for they were still roaming the Overworld, but it seems too strong for any of them.

"Hey Shatter." I asked uneasily "You're sure you dealt with Herobrine right?"

"Yeah." he said, glancing up from whatever he was crafting "Why?"

"Oh, nothing I just though I sensed something." He had barely gone back to work when a powerful sending flashed from whoever I was sensing. "I though you said you dealt with Herobrine." I said, hostility tainting my voice."

"I did." he said, voice strangely calm for someone I assumed was straight up lying.

"Then why can I sense him doing things?" I spat.

"I don't know, maybe you're under too much stress. That would explain sensing things that are not there now wouldn't it."

"Look." I hissed, taking several menacing steps towards him. "I don't know what you're playing at. But I do know what I'm sensing and somehow you allowed Herobrine to roam free after all we did to keep him contained."

Shatter took a step back as I approached, looking over me scornfully. "Tch, well it was only a matter of time I suppose." he said "That guy never was good at keeping to himself. I'm actually surprised it took this long, he must not have been found as quickly as I anticipated."

"So you betrayed Chaos kind?" I hissed "Are you admitting this?"

"You can't betray anyone if you've never been loyal to their side in the first place." He said, gathering up a few bits from the crafting table "And I thought I made it clear to you that I have no love for Chaos kind. I merely do whatever I must to keep little Stevie safe. Which is more than you can say."

**How dare he speak like that.** Hissed Void **Remind him that we have more power over him than he seems to recall.**

"You seem to forget that we have power over you." I spat "Steve still dwells in the magic plane under your protection, and while I may not be able to reach him there, Void sure can.

"Your threats do not scare me." he said, scooping up the rest of his things. "I shall be off."

"Oh, no you won't" I said, drawing one of my blades and brandishing it at him "You come back here and start helping to recapture Herobrine, or you shall have Void and me to contend with."

**And you wouldn't want that now would you?** Void snarled.

"Then I guess you will be forced to do that now." he said, turning away. I frustration I ran at him, driving my blade into the spot where he had been. A bright flash of light appeared in front of me, contrasting with the dark void particles that drifted to the floor. A dazed Shatter reappeared on the other side of the room, almost falling over before he managed to catch his balance. "How do Enderlords managed to do this all the time?" he gasped "It's awful." Suddenly he dropped to his knees, arms clasped across his head as if to ward off a blow.

**Yes, fall before me.** I heard Void cry, his voice filled with a wicked glee **Let this be a lesson to all the others of what happens to those who cross the Chaos kind. The lord of this realm shall fall and we shall remake it to reflect the glory of the Chaos realm.**

Somehow Shatter managed to pull himself to his feet, despite the mental onslaught from Void. He looked back at me for a second before fleeing the room, the quick tap of his footsteps growing distant. As I prepared to give chase, Void said **Let him go. It it boring if my victims think they have no chance right from the start. He cannot escape me so long as his other half remains in the magic realm.** Reluctantly I let him go, sensing him travel off towards where I head felt the strange presence I presumed to be Herobrine.

**Notch's POV**

"You're sure this will work?" I asked.

"Course it will." said Mirexal. "Jeeze, have a bit more confidence in me. I mean it's not like this is the one thing my powers are specifically adapted for or anything."

"I know." I murmured "I guess I'm just worried at what's going to happen after he gets here. I mean we don't usually get along very well, and I don't want to start that up again right away by doing something wrong."

"Relax." said Mirexal "If it makes you feel better, its far more likely that Jeb will find out what we're doing and come and cause trouble than it is that Herobrine will be mad. After all, you are kind of risking a lot to rescue him. That's got to count for something. Take it from someone who's a little brother themselves, it's when your older sibling goes especially out of their way to help that it means the most."

"Alright." I said "Open the portal."

Mirexal nodded, closing his eyes. With a flick of his fingers, a magenta ringed portal appeared on the wall across from him. Drawing his hand quickly upwards, the area inside the ring cleared, revealing an image of a swamp where Herobrine and a woman I presumed to be his companion stood. The drain from the link was not as bad as it had been the last time, but Steve's presence was different. It seemed to have a dark force eating away at it, forcing his power to constantly shift and retaliated to maintain control.

"Come one through." yelled Mirexal into the portal "It's best if I don't leave this open for too long, we don't want the Chaos stuff getting in." The two of them nodded, quickly stepping through the portal and into the Aether. As Mirexal prepared to close the portal, I felt a strange shift of powers. Looking back out in confusion, I barely managed to step out of the way before a third form staggered thought the portal, falling to the ground in front of it. In surprise Mirexal snapped the portal shut, instinctively raising his wings in an effort to intimidate the new person.

"Surrender." the man gasped, or at least I presumed it was a man, the light blue cloak he wore made it difficult to tell in his current position. He raised his hands half heatedly before gasping again "Surrender." When none of us made any move against him, he continued weakly, in halting fragments "Help. Please. Shadow. Need. Help."

"Uh, who is this?" I asked, staring down at him in confusion. To my surprise the man answered.

"Shatter. Help. Need Shadow." Herobrine reached down and flipped back the man's hood, revealing a man who looked startlingly like Steve."

"Yeah, that's Shatter alright." he said, glancing down at the prostrate man.

"Maybe I should get Shadow then." said Mirexal hesitantly "I mean this seems pretty urgent and what's the worse thing that could really happen from him just taking a look."

"Yeah, go get him." I said "Try not to run into Jeb though, he still doesn't know about this." He ran off, leaving me, Herobrine and Herobrine's friend to stare down at the quivering figure below us.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Questions for the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	31. Split and Disorder

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. We're over 1,200 views for this story, and I just wanted to say how happy it makes me that you guys take time out of your day to continue reading my stories. On with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Mirexal's POV**

"Shadow, where are you? I need to talk to you?" I gasped, clutching my side in an effort to stop the jagged pain lancing through it from my sudden sprint here.

*Quiet, he's sleeping.* sent Illusion.

"But it's urgent." I said more quietly, shoving the door open a crack to peer into the dim expanse of the room. Shadow lay curled in a shallow dip in the floor, one wing wrapped over his sleeping from, the other caught between his back and the cushion lined edge of the nest. Many of the Chaos and Enderlords had taken to using this style of sleeping area, preferring it to the regular beds that the rest of the lords used. I didn't really care either way, but the soft nests defiantly were more gentle on wings. He looked peaceful lying there, more peaceful than he had any of the other times I had seen him as of late. "Is he doing better?" I asked, my task momentarily forgotten. He looked far too similar to Illusion in this form for me to just brush off his condition.

*Yes, he has finally started sleeping without potions.* sent Illusion *The nightmares seem to have left him for now.*

"Good." I murmured.

*Why did you come then?* asked Illusion *You said it was urgent, and if it is absolutely necessary I can get Shadow up.*

"Well.." I started, not sure how much I should tell him "Lets just say that some things happened and there is this guy down in one of the corridors who was freaking out and asking for Shadow."

*I'm going to need a bit more than that.* said Illusion dryly *That could literally be about anything from the end of time to Notchie needing more potion supplies for a surprise party.*

"Can't you just, like trust me a bit?" I pleaded "Like old times y'know. We never seemed to have this kind of problem before. We never doubted each other then. We were close."

*Not as close as you and Zeren were.* he sent, wistfully but suspicious *So I'm going to need a bit more than that to be inclined to trust you just off of that.*

Taken aback at his hostility, I paused, concern written clearly across my features. "Why are you acting like this?" I asked "You weren't like this before, not even when I first showed up."

*You just never know who you can trust I guess.* he spat.

"Don't take anything he says personally right now." said Shadow softly, sitting up slowly. His wings splayed open across the blankets as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. In the dim room his feathers seemed to draw what light there was to themselves, creating an area of gloom in the center of the room. "He's all worried about what could happen to me if he lets his guard down for even a little while. After what happened last time you know."

Slightly reassured, I stepped further into the room, glancing at the edges in search of any light switches. The only reason I could think of that this room would be devoid of any torches was that maybe it had some kind of built in redstone lamp system.

"Don't bother looking for lights, there aren't any." said Shadow, stretching his arms over his head. "There aren't any. So what did you need anyway?"

"I think you should just come and see at this point." I sighed "It might be easier."

"Alright." he grunted, finishing the last of his stretching and giving his wings a shake to aline the feathers. "Lead on. You're the one who knows where we're going."

Hurrying as I now realized how long it had been since I left, I led Shadow down to where I had left the others. It seemed much further to travel as I returned along the lengths of hallway, and briefly I wondered if I would be able to find the place at all. The building seemed to be made of an endless network of hallways that were almost identical. Just as I had started to despair at ever finding the place, the next bend in the corridor revealed the others. They were certainly in a weird state though. Notch was sitting on the lower legs of the one who had identified himself as Shatter, while Herobrine was kneeling on Shatter's back with his hands clamped tightly over the prostrate lord's mouth. Herobrine's friend was peering down the other corridor, but as we approached she turned, giving Herobrine a quick tap on the shoulder as she spotted us.

"What the heck is going on here?" asked Shadow, staring at them in concern and confusion.

"He kind of started flailing around when Mirexal went to get you." said Herobrine, hissing in pain as one of Shatter's arms managed to escape from under his grasp and scratch thing lines down his arm. "We've been trying to hold him down, but it's getting harder."

"Especially when we keep getting these changes in magic." grunted Notch, wincing from some shift that sent colored streaks shooting across his wings.

"Let him up." said Shadow "I need to be able to see to figure out what's going on, let alone fix it." The two of them complied, freeing Shatter from beneath them. The strength of his struggle against their bonds was evident immediately, thick bands of bright red visible where he had tried to twist out from under them. Upon seeing him, Shadow paled. "Steve." he whispered. Crouching beside the half-conscious lord.

"He insists he's not Steve." said Herobrine.

"Not Steve." he murmured, almost in response "Shatter. Need help. Can't fight much longer. Divide. Divide and save. Save Steve."

"Shit." swore Shadow "I had hopped that this would never happen. That it would never show itself."

"What wouldn't?" I asked, now thoroughly confused.

"I'll explain everything later." he snapped "At least everything I know. But right now I have things I need to do. Illusion, I need you to do a split spell on them, quick as you can."

*Them who?* asked Illusion *What aren't you telling us?*

"I already told you, I'll explain later." said Shadow, clearly in a state of panic at this point. "Split spell, on Shatter, right now. That's all I ask."

*Why should I?* he asked *This whole thing just seems a bit weird. How do we know Void's not controlling you again.*

"Shouldn't you be able to figure that on your own?" spat Shadow "After all, you are in my mind. So help me Illusion, either do the spell or I will never forgive you."  
*Geeze, fine, if it means that much to you.* he murmured sulkily. In a flash, Shadow's eyes shifted to a violet hue and Illusion took over, hurriedly casting a split spell, although I doubted he knew any more than the rest of us about why we were doing a thing like that in the first place. I mean what possible benefit could casting a split spell on some random lord have?

As the spell surrounded the now unconscious lord, something strange began to occur, The lord seemed to twist in a strange jerky manner, limbs splayed out in random directions. A brilliant flash of light appeared in front of whatever the spell had been doing, and when at last I was able to blink the spots from my eyes, I was in for a shock. Two very similar looking figures lay on the floor where previously only a single one had been. One still looked pretty much the same as before, dark void runes visible on his arms and a blue cloak barely managing to stay wrapped around him after what he had been through. The other one though, they were different. It wasn't just the fact that their arms were rune free or that they wore a cape rather than a cloak, which to be honest made them look a whole lot like Herobrine, especially unconscious. His presence was completely different than the other one, more peaceful and calm, as well as being much, much weaker than the other had been. Both of them were drenched in the remnants of Void magic though, seeping from them do die out in the presence of the stronger magic from the others in the room.

"Uh, what just happened?" asked Notch, voicing the words that everyone was thinking.

"Once again, I said I'll explain everything after." said Shadow in irritation "Right now we need to get them somewhere safe. Unless you think Jeb and the Valkyrie will be pleased when they find out what happened here. They'll be able to sense the traces of Void magic on these two and will know right away that something isn't right. I don't know about you, but I would prefer not to be here when that happens."

"Where should we take them then?" I asked "I mean its not like there are a huge number of places they would be safe."

"I know a place." said Shadow "They won't suspect a bit more Void energy there, not after what happened there. The only one who really went down there was Teloxen and I kind of accidentally scared him out of doing that any time soon."

"Come on then." said Shadow softly, picking up the lord with the weaker presence and arranging his limp form carefully between his wings so that his arms hung over the taller lord's shoulders. "There's defiantly movement around, so we are going to have to be careful."

"Be careful of what?" came a voice from behind. Turning quickly, I saw who had spoken. A clearly irritated Jeb stood in the hallway, flanked by several armed Valkyrie. One of the Valkyrie was restraining Herobrine's friend, one hand clasped over her mouth while the other held her arms tightly behind her back.

"Let her go!" demanded Herobrine, taking a menacing step towards them.

"Let me deal with this." said Notch, holding an arm in front of Herobrine to impede his progress. "What do you want Jeb?" he asked, crossing his arms in front of his body.

"Mostly to figure out why you have once again decided to do exactly what I told you not to do." he said.

"Well, it's my realm, not yours." shot Notch "And no matter how much you wish that wasn't true, it's not going to change."

"Did you tell him?" asked Shadow "Notch I mean. About what happened?"

"Wha, uh how do you know about that?" he asked in shock.

*Sallen's not the only one who knows about that kind of thing you know.* said Illusion.

"Yeah, I told him a while ago." said Jeb "Why? Is there something more I need to know about what happened?"

*No, I think it might just be nice to tell him why he is having so much trouble dealing with his realm. After all, that would be the right thing to do.*

"What do you mean?" asked Notch, looking hurt "Is there something that you didn't tell me before?"  
"Well, we can talk about that later." said Jeb "Right now we need to deal with the fact that your brother has somehow made his way into this realm, and by the looks of it he had your help."

"No, we are dealing with you right now." insisted Notch, voice seething in anger "I am entirely fed up with people assuming that it is best if I don't know things. So get yourself together and just spit it out already."

"Well." said Jeb "I..." he swallowed and looked away "I can't." before anyone could speak he shoved one of the Valkyrie aside, dashing off into the maze of passages. Notch made a move to follow, but Shadow pulled him back.

"Let him go. He won't get far, I've made sure of that. We can deal with him after we get these guys somewhere safe."

"Don't bother taking them all the way down there." said Notch absentmindedly, still staring at where Jeb had disappeared around the corner "The entire idea was to keep them away from Jeb. That doesn't matter now. Just take them up to one of the guest rooms near ours. I'm going to find Jeb."

"You sure?" asked Shadow "We can come with you if you'd like."

"No, this is something I've got to do on my own." he sighed "Take them and leave me."

Looking to the others, Shadow gave a small nod "Do as he says." he murmured "Herobrine, grab Shatter. We must be off."

Herobrine reluctantly complied, lifting the limp form of Shatter and taking a last look back at where Notch stood. "Be safe brother." he murmured before walking away.

"Are you sure you will be alright?" asked Shadow, ushering me and Herobrine's friend further down the hallway.

"I guess I'll have to be." Notch sighed, wings drooping "I'll be there as soon as I talk to Jeb, so don't go explaining without me."

"Alright." said Shadow "Good luck."

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review, they really do motivate me to write. Questions for the characters can also be PM'ed to me or left in a review. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	32. Explanation and Encounter

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I think for this story, once we get to a certain point I will mark the chapters as part of the second half, because there is a serious time gap between the two halves. That's not for a while though, so on with the chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Jeb's POV  
**

I placed a hand on the wall where the corridor I was running through met with the next, using it as a source of support as ragged gasps shook my body. Brushing Notch off like that, I had tried my best to hide my feelings but it had really hurt me to do it. My lady had insisted that I keep this from him, for fear that knowing would make him a target of the enemies of order. The pain I felt doing it though, keeping things like that secret, was more than just emotional. When I had relinked him with his magic, years ago now, I had used my own magic to do so, effectively binding our magic in a way very similar to how he and Herobrine were linked. The strength of the bonds was nothing close of course, theirs having existed since they were children, but it functioned in much the same way, strengthening constantly. It had gotten to the point that when anything serious happened to a member of their family, I felt it pretty much as strongly as the others did. It also meant that whenever my lady made me hide things like this, it caused some serious trouble. How can you keep something that important from someone who shares a part of yourself, no matter how safe it is supposed to keep them.

The sudden sound of teleporting creatures made me look up, searching for the source of the noise. Ender stood a few blocks from me, arms crossed in irritation. As I watched, she pointedly looked at a spot behind where I stood, flicking her antennae in a way I was sure was relevant. Turning to gaze back the other way, I saw Flare standing a few blocks away on that side. With a somewhat sympathetic grin he flicked his hand upwards, revealing the blaze wand he held in it. An orange barrier flickered into existence between the two of us, dividing the hallway. Turning to go in the other direction, I was met with a bright purple barricade blocking me from traveling in that direction as well.

"So sorry we have to do this to you." said Ender, her tone anything but sorry "But Shadow asked a favor, and well we couldn't really say no to something like that." A few moments later, a dejected look Notch walked down Flare's side of the passageway, unhappy colors slowly flickering down his wings. Looking up, he stopped, confusion flashing across his features as he took in the scene before him.

"What happened?" he asked, gaze flicking to Flare for some kind of an explanation.

"Shadow asked us to keep him contained for a bit." said Ender "Not sure why though. If you need him though, he's all yours." Notch nodded and I looked away. Something told me that this was going to make me even more conflicted than I already was. A slight breeze swished down the hallway as the barriers immediately disappeared. Ender and Flare met in front of me before teleporting away, a hand on Flare's shoulder keeping him connected to Ender as they did so. Turning to Notch, I winced, opening my mouth to attempt to explain why I could not tell him.

"Not here." he said, eyes refusing to meet mine. "We must go somewhere less open. Follow." With as flick of his wings, he turned and I hurried to follow after him. Several minutes later we had reached Notch's room. Sitting in one of the chairs, Notch gestured for me to sit as well. Hesitantly I sat, wondering how this was going to work out. "Why?" asked Notch at last, voice cracking from unhappiness as he spoke "Why was something so important that you had to keep it a secret like you still have. I put a lot of trust in you and it seems like it may have been misplaced."

"No, that's..." I trailed off, looking down as I attempted to gather my thoughts. "I never meant for it to hurt you. I kept it a secret because my lady said it would keep you safe. And I didn't want anything happening to you that was my fault."

Notch was silent for a moment before saying "Tell me."

"What?" I exclaimed "I just told you that I haven't told you because bad things might happen if you were to know, and now you want me to tell you?"

"I am more than capable of taking care of myself." he snapped "And I would rather know what it is so I can assess for myself what the potential danger is."

"Alright." I murmured "But I doubt you'll like it."

"Well, I'll just have to get over it." he said "It's not like I can do a whole lot about whatever it is. Especially if you keep refraining from telling me anything."

"So I didn't tell you the whole story when I explained how Steve and Shadow were healed by my lady." I admitted "Well I told you what happened then. What I didn't tell you was what happened after."

"What do you mean what happened after?" he asked "You said you had only seen her that one time."

"Well, that wasn't true." I said "She had come back to talk to me because she realized that I had gotten her mark. She's been back a couple times now."

"How am I never able to tell when she's around then?" he asked "Surely someone with powers as strong as you say hers are would leave a pretty notable trace."

"No idea." I said "She must be able to conceal it somehow."

"So what did she say that you didn't tell me?"

"General stuff mostly." I murmured, looking up slightly "But a few things that were really important. You know you're linked to me right, from when I had to fix your magic."

"Yeah."

"Well, the reason you have been having so much trouble controlling the realm lately is partially because the link with my lady had made my magic quite a bit stronger, but it's also because somehow I have been leeching magic from you. And the realm gets confused since we are linked in the way we are and just assumes that the most powerful light lord of the two of us is you, even when it's not.

Notch looked very conflicted before asking "Is there any way to fix that then? It is my realm after all and I'd like it if it didn't keep mistaking you for me."

"No idea." I shrugged "My lady wasn't really concerned with that, I couldn't really make it clear to her how important it was to you. She was more concerned with the fact that since we have linked magic, anything that happens to you directly affects me. That's why she didn't want me to tell you this in the first place. She thought that if you knew, it might be easier for our enemies to find out and use that information to their advantage."

"Yeah, well you can tell her that I can take care of myself, so stop acting like an overprotective mother creeper next time you see her, okay? I've dealt with some pretty bad stuff and managed to come out alright, how much worse could whatever she is worried about be?"

"I dunno." I said "But it's probably really bad if she thinks it's a problem."

Notch shrugged "Well, there is nothing we can do about it now is there." he pointed out "If something big is going to happen, its probably going to happen whether I'm ready for it or not, so I would prefer to know so I can be prepared. Makes sense right?"

"I guess." I admitted.

"Now if you don't mind, I have to go find out whats happening with Shatter and the others."

"Can I come with you?" I asked hesitantly, glancing at him.

"You better not." said Notch "I don't have any problem with it, but Herobrine knows that you were opposed to him coming here in the first place, and after how your Valkyrie guards treated his friend, I think that there might be some trouble if you two have to spend much time together right now."

"Alright." I murmured "I guess I'll just stay here until you are done."

**Notch's POV**

I left Heb in my room, figuring that I could finish dealing with him after I talked with Shadow about what was going on with Shatter. Strangely though, I felt a weird fluctuation of power fairly close by.

_What was that? _I wondered uneasily, glancing back down the corridor. It seemed to be gone now, save for an uneasy ripple of force every so often.

"It couldn't hurt to take a look." I murmured, taking a step back down the corridor towards where I could sense the presence. As I did so, I felt a sudden flash of panic from Jeb. It seemed like something was happening back where I had left him.

_You alright?_ I sent, wincing as my sending was repelled by not only Jeb's fear but also a strange and powerful aura that above anything else, just felt blank.

"Odd." I murmured, increasing my pace. Something strange was going on and I needed to get to the bottom of it. A blazing blue light trickled out from under my doorway, and as I placed my hand on the door to open it, I felt an electric chill race through me. Opening it a crack, I peered around the open edge cautiously, wondering what I would see on the other side. A blue clothed figure stood in the center of the room, and a terrified Jeb stood against the wall furthest from where I stood, looking like he wanted to be anywhere other than there at the moment. Seeing him like that made me remember how young he really was compared to me and many of the others. He was from the third generation of Aether lords I vaguely remembered being told, but the combined traits of Valkyrie and Crafters made their race both develop quickly and live long lifespans so it was exceedingly difficult to tell the ages of any of the members beyond a certain point. Against my better judgment I opened the door slightly wider, stepping in slowly and straining to hear what was being said across the length of the large room. Jeb's eyes widened as he saw me enter, and he shook his head slightly, clearly not wanting me there right now. The figure in front of him noticed his movement and turned to see what his gaze was directed at. Best guess, I would say that this was the lady Jeb had been talking about. She wore an ice blue cloak that covered much of her features, but the circlet that she wore bore the same symbol that appeared on Jeb's arm.

"Is this the one you told?" she asked, looking over her shoulder to where Jeb was, his hands covering his face in dismay. Almost imperceptibly Jeb nodded, peeking slightly through the gaps in his splayed fingers. "Interesting." she murmured "Now what are we going to do with you?" she asked, turning her gaze on me.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. You can also leave questions for the characters in a review if you have any, or PM them to me. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	33. Secrecy and History

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I hope you guys enjoy. On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Notch's POV**

Jeb's lady continued to stare at me, her gaze one of the strangest things I had ever felt. It was intimidating, very much so in fact, but beneath that I could detect an aura of calm, of order and non-hostility.

"Well?" she asked, looking me up and down "Any suggestions? We can hardly have you just rushing off and telling others that I'm here now can we?"

"I could just not tell anyone?" I said hesitantly, biting my lip as she considered what I had said.

"I guess that could work." she said thoughtfully "But we have to be sure with these things of course. Jeb, do you think this one will honor his words and not tell?"

"Probably?" he said uncertainly, still as far away from her as he could get.

"Hm, well I need a bit more assurance than that. Wouldn't want the others knowing I was around, that could get complicated."

She seemed lost in thought for a moment, muttering under her breath. I could just about make out what she was saying though, and it did nothing to reassure me. "I suppose I could rune-link him. But it might interfere with the one I've got on Jeb, and this one, well he wouldn't get along with the others."

"What others?" I asked, so focused on listening that it didn't occur to me that asking this wold reveal that I had heard her.

She glared at me. "It is quite rude to listen to something if you have not been invited to do so." she snapped. Relenting a bit, she said "I cannot tell you the identity of the others, as it might endanger them, but you would not get along with them because they are Chaos lords."

I nodded, letting the subject go though I desperately wanted to continue asking about it. It seemed like there was yet another mystery going on in my realm, and like always, I was being excluded. Jeb seemed relieved at my actions, letting out a sigh as I was not attacked as a result of my words.

"I know." she said, snapping her fingers "Both of you, take one of these." she said, producing two thin silver necklaces with a pendant depicting her rune on it, a diamond with two smaller triangles coming off of it, a bit like a nether star but not quite the same. Taking one, I examined it, feeling the strange touch of her magic bound to it. As Jeb took the other one, I felt the touch of his magic through the necklace. Seeing nothing that appeared harmful, I fastened the necklace around my neck, a strange shiver running down my spine as the traces of magic interacted with my own. "That will let Jeb know if you decide to share any of this." she said "We wouldn't want you to spread this around. If I hear anything about you speaking of this, I shall be very angry. And I don't think either of us want to see me angry, now do we."

I shook my head, tucking the thin metal necklace under the edge of my robe. It wouldn't do to have the others asking about it.

"Now be off." she said, her tone leaving no room for arguing.

_You going to be okay?_ I sent to Jeb hesitantly, looking over to him.

*Hope so.* he sent softly, looking up nervously. His eyes darted back down as he saw that his lady was looking his way again.

_If you need help, I will come._ I sent, allowing my gaze to briefly lock with his.

*I guess.* he sent, looking away.

"Go." his lady said, opening the door and pointing out "I have things to say that others cannot hear." Reluctantly I complied, the door snapping closed behind me. This time I felt a magic barrier being constructed on the other side of the entryway. There would be little chance of getting in that way if Jeb needed help. Sighing, I walked towards where I could sense Shadow and the others. An explanation of some of what was going on would hopefully distract me from wanting to run back into the other room and stopping the strange lady in there from doing anything to Jeb.

**Shatter's POV**

A slight chill brought me to the edge of consciousness, and through the sleepy haze I felt the presence of... many lords. _What? _I thought, expanding my presence slightly in an attempt to understand the situation. The last thing I could really remember was trying to where I had sensed Herobrine to do.. something. What had I been trying to do? Suddenly a wave of remembrance crashed over me, and I flinched, immediately reaching out my awareness to where I could always sense Steve. When I didn't sense him, I frantically expanded my awareness, searching for the one person who I always needed to be there for.

_This could mean that things have either gone really well or extremely badly._ I thought, straining to find any traced of Steve's presence. The stronger lords around me were throwing me off though. I wasn't used to having any kind of barrier between me and Steve, so they were pretty much blocking his presence if he was there. Opening my eyes, I sat up slowly, wincing as the movement stretched the void runes on my arms. Void had obviously used them in an attempt to slow me down, and now blood traced their outline, trickling down where I had accidentally cracked a few of the scabs open. The other lords I could sense were situated at the other side of the room, talking quietly and occasionally glancing at the open door, as if waiting for someone. Turning my attention to the rest of the room, I glimpsed the edge of another bed behind a thin curtain. Pulling aside the blanket that covered me, I let my legs dangle off the bed, sliding off. Almost immediately I had to grab hold of the bed to keep from tumbling to the floor. Apparently this whole thing had taken more out of me than I had thought. Gritting my teeth, I carefully made my way to the other bed. As I reached to pull back the curtain, I lost my balance, falling forwards into the curtain and pulling it down on top of myself, causing an enormous crash. The other lords whipped around at the sudden noise, standing and hesitantly walking over to see where had happened. One of them, I identified them as Herobrine after a quick check, lofted the edge of the curtain, revealing me lying there.

"Are you alright?" he asked, untangling the curtain from around me. Wordlessly I nodded, trying to force myself to stand by finding it extremely difficult in my weakened state.

"Woah, don't hurt yourself." he said, placing a hand on my back in an attempt to keep me from trying to stand again. Shooting him a glare, I tried to wriggle towards the other bed, intend on finding out if Steve was over there. Driving my fingernails into the frame of the bed, I tried to pull myself up, but it proved to be too difficult. I sat panting on the floor, trying to gather enough strength to try again. Abruptly, I felt a pair of hands lift me, placing me on the edge of the bed. Turning, I saw Shadow behind me, gesturing me forward.

*I know you need to protect him.* he sent.

Nodding, I turned to look at the figure on the bed. Steve lay there, sleeping, though I would hardly call it peacefully. Brushing my hand against his, I felt our link again, strengthened ever so slightly by proximity and contact.

"What happened to us?" I asked, scooting closer to Steve. "I mean how did we get here. I know what happened up till then."

"I'll explain once Notch shows up." Said Shadow "I promised we would wait for him."

"Why." sighed Herobrine "I just want to know what's going on now."

"Well, you are just going to have to wait." said Shadow, crossing his arms. Beside me, I felt Steve stir. Looking over, I saw him sit up slightly, eyes blinking rapidly in the bright room.

*What happened?* he sent softly, snuggling closer *Why are you here too?*

_Complications with Void _I sent _I'll explain in a bit friend. Just rest now._

*Do the others know I'm okay? I left without much warning last time.*

_Yes, their here now. _I sent _From what I can remember, I gave them quite a surprise showing up here out of nowhere._

*Is Cresilia here?* he asked hesitantly *She must me furious with me.*

_No idea, sorry._

*Probably for the best.* he said, looking away *I need to prepare before dealing with her.*

A flurry of movement by the door drew my attention away from our conversation. Notch stood in the doorway, looking strangely uncertain.

"Lovely, you're here." said Shadow, in a tone that was either annoyed because Notch had taken so long to get here or because he was not looking forward to having to talk about this.

"Yes, I'm here." he said, looking back as a strange flicker of power surged through the area.

"Alright." said Shadow. "Let's start with the obvious stuff. Shatter is the one with the void runes, while Steve is the other one. Got it?"

"Yeah, but why are there two of them?" asked Herobrine.

"I'm getting to that." said Shadow "Be a bit patient" More quietly, he asked "Have I ever told you about my first realm?"

Caught off guard, Notch and Herobrine looked at each other in confusion before Herobrine replied "No... I don't think so. Unless you mean the End."

"No, this was long before then, when you were still small children, I had build it with another lord, Kiriveyen. You all spent quite a lot of time there, but you were so young I would be surprised if you remembered it. It's one reason I was never surprised when Notch shifted to his Aether lord form. It's very similar to what you looked like as a child."

"What happened then?" asked Herobrine "I mean it can't have been all sunshine and lovely things if you don't live there now."

"Well, no things didn't go well after a while. There is this strange tradition among the Builders that any children below a certain power level after a set a mount of time are to be, well, killed. Supposedly it is to keep the spirits that represent their magic from growing too powerful and becoming a threat to the rest of the Builders, a kind of the lives of many over the lives of one kind of thing, but I never really bought that. So when some of the council showed up and deemed that Steve was not strong enough according to their guidelines, I wasn't exactly going to hand him over."

"What happened then?" asked Notch "I doubt that they would have just gone away."

"No, well they insisted for a while, then once they finally seemed to realize that I wasn't going to give in that easily, they gave me a couple days to 'think it over and say my goodbyes' as they put it. Naturally, I wanted nothing to do with it at that point, and Kiriveyen agreed that it was hardly fair to kill someone for having magic that wasn't as strong as everyone else's. So when they came back, we tried to avoid them for a while, and when that didn't work, well Kiriveyen told me to take you three and run. I wanted to stay and help, but you were still too little to survive on your own at the time. I took you and left. Only later did I find out anything about what happened. Kiriveyen and the Tirychen, the race that inhabited our realm, stood against the high Builders to protect us, and almost none escaped. The fact that any did though gives me hope that I might see him again, because if anyone could get out of a situation like that, it was Kiriveyen.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed. If so please consider leaving a review. Questions for the characters can also be left in a review if you have any. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	34. Builder's Rule

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. As always, hope you enjoy. On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel.**

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**Shatter's POV**

*Well, it doesn't seem like you have the best luck with realms do you.* said Illusion.

"Shut up." muttered Shadow "I don't like talking about this as is, there's no need to make it worse."

"So why exactly didn't you believe the reasoning the high builders provided about why they were killing low power lords?" I asked, putting a hand on Steve's shoulder as he unconsciously shied away from my words. Builders had been doing this for so long that those affected by it instinctively were wary of other Builders and mentions of the rule, regardless of if they had even heard of it. I had been with Steve at the time of their flight from the Builders, and my recollection of these events had never faded. The memories I had from that day were still as vivid as they had been when they were first created.

"I don't know." said Shadow, shrugging slightly "It just never made much sense to me that lords with a lower level of power had some kind of dark presence bonded with them." Looking me over, he said "Although it kind of looks like I was wrong."

"Shatter's not evil." said Steve softly, glancing over at Shadow. "He keeps me safe."

"Why were the high Builders so afraid of your kind then?" asked Shadow "They seemed so determined to make sure that there was no chance of the evil they thought your kind represented escaping and making yourself known."

"Misunderstanding mostly." I sighed, thinking of the unhappy stories I had heard about what had happened to some of the others I had encountered. They littered the magic plane, many victims of the same rule Steve and I had narrowly escaped.

"What do you mean?" asked Notch "Surely they could not be so blind as to keep making the same mistake for so long."

"One would think." I sighed "Unfortunately they would be wrong."

"The high Builders are not often willing to admit that they have been mistaken." said Shadow "Few of them are likely to know if this is the case anyway. If any of them were to find out, they would not tell anyone except for possibly the leader to prevent a revolt."

"But what made them do it at all?" asked Herobrine "I mean caution is caution, but its got to start somewhere. Believe me, I know."

"Well." I said hesitantly, telling myself that they would not use this information for anything bad. They had already given up so much for us. "You have to understand that my kind, magic demons I have heard us called, we exist because sometimes when a builder or other lord of such high power is being creates it doesn't go quite right. Some of the magic breaks away partially, creating another entity linked with the first. These entities are us. We are usually much stronger than the one we are linked to, so we take it upon ourselves to guard them, as a kind of payment for without them we would not exist. But this comes at a cost. No matter what race, lords eventually die or fade, leaving their magic counterpart alone. They too eventually pass on without another to sustain them, but the time between is the problem. When your purpose is to guard the one you're bonded to and they are suddenly gone, well in many something snaps. Some of the worst damage in conflicts has been from magic demons lashing out at those around them after their paired lord was inadvertently killed. Back to the Builders though, of the one who started the killing, well I know little of him, but I have heard stories of what happened. Hundreds of years past, the leader of the Builders had a daughter. Like many girls do, she fell in love. But tragedy struck as it always seems to, and one day while picnicking, her love fell from a high ledge. The sight of her love broken on the rocks below was bad enough, but what was to follow was far worse. You see, her love had been a member of the low powered lords as they are called, and in complete grief and rage, his paired spirit lashed out against the only one around, his paired lord's love. She fell to him, and when the guards came looking for her after she did not return, they found him near her, weeping and refusing to look at her slain form. When one of our kind looses their paired lord, they gain a form that resembles the one they were paired with, for their presence no longer has anything to cling to. When her father learned of what had happened, he created the rule, the rule that he spent the rest of his life trying to enforce in a vain attempt to spare others from the grief he had felt at his daughter's death. But he did not truly understand what had happened that day. The guards only saw the slain girl and what they believed to be her love, possessed and turned to darkness by the one he was paired with. Her love, slain by his fall, was never seen, hidden as he was by the darkness at the base of the cliff. If the leader had known this, he never would have made such a rule, for it doomed many others to the same fate his daughter had suffered. As they worked to carry out the rule, many similar occurrences were reported, many a symptom of public panic, and it just never stopped. They still hunt down those among the kind with lower powers in hopes of preventing something that they barely even remember." I looked away as I finished, not wanting them to see my reaction. The story still had the power to bring me nearly to tears even now, after I had told it so many times. It showed just how close I was at any moment to complete madness. One wrong step, one enemy attack not blocked, and I might share the same fate as that past lord's paired lord, doomed to wander alone as an outcast until I faded from this plane.

Sensing my inner turmoil, Steve scooted closer, resting his head against my side. *I'm not going anywhere.* he sent *So there is no need to worry. Besides, I have all the others to help watch out for me too, whether I like it or not. I will be fine.*

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched the others reaction, both to the story and my interaction with Steve. When nothing seemed out of the ordinary I let out the breath I had been holding. Maybe for once the strange presence I could barely detect would not be an evil lord here to kill us all. Looking up, Steve spoke hesitantly "Hey, um I'm really sorry about how I ran off before. I was just so frustrated and needed some space, and it kind of got out of hand."

"We forgive you." said Shadow, Notch and Herobrine nodding in agreement. Addressing Herobrine, Steve said "I know what you did to the Crafter's and while I don't agree with it, I think you've already been through enough recently."

Eyes downcast, Herobrine acknowledged Steve's words with a nod.

"We've all been through a lot recently." said Shadow "But it will get better now."

"What things have you been through?" asked Steve in confusion, looking at Shadow and Notch.

When neither of them elaborated, the magenta winged lord, *Mirexal* Steve supplied, said "Well Notch and was drugged with potions to keep him from destroying his realm and Shadow almost killed Teloxen after being possessed by Void."

"Did we really need to bring that up?" Asked Shadow, glaring at Mirexal.

"I don't know, he did ask." he replied, shrugging innocently "I was just giving the facts."

"What I really want to know." said Shadow "Besides the obvious how the heck did you manage to get here, which I can piece together well enough on my own, is who she is." He pointed to where Herobrine's friend still stood awkwardly in the back of the room, probably completely confused by what was going on.

"Uh, well that's Amelia." said Herobrine "She is the one who kind of saved me from freezing to death in the swamp and she has been helping me out and stuff." He looked away as his words trailed off, failig miserably to conceal the bright blush that had spread across his features.

*Damn it, that means he will have a girlfriend before me.* I heard Notch send. Almost immediately after, he sent nervously *Did I actually send that?*

*Yes.* send Shadow *And I'm pretty sure you didn't mean to.*

*Yeah* he sent *It just kind of popped out.*

_Well, I think Herobrine's a bit too __embarrassed__ to have noticed._ I pointed out, glancing at where Herobrine was attempting to compose himself.

"Well then, welcome Amelia." said Shadow, doing his best to contain his amusement.

*Maybe next you can admit how you feel about Lani.* snickered Illusion.

*There's nothing to tell.* Sent Shadow quickly, a light blush coloring his cheeks.

*Sure.* sent Illusion sarcastically *And there's ice in the Nether too, right?*

Mercifully they were distracted from their bickering by a rapidly approaching presence of someone else. Someone very familiar.

*Uh oh, hide* sent Steve, radiating panic *I still haven't gotten around to telling her about you.*

_Well, now's as good a time as any._ I said encouragingly _Things will be a lot less awkward if you tell her now rather than trying to hide it from her._

*I guess.* he sent reluctantly. The others had picked up on Cresilia's approach soon after we had, glancing nervously at the door and retreating to the other end of the room. Everyone knew that it was a bad idea to get in Cresilia's way, especially when she was doing anything involving Steve.

A few seconds later she crashed through the doorway, the door flung aside to smash into the wall next to it. "Steve!" she yelled joyfully, racing forwards and wrapping her arms around me in a hug that completely overloaded my body. I wasn't used to contact of any kind with lords other than Steve, so this was off putting. Flinching away from the strange sensation, I saw her elation diminish, concern making its way across her features. "What's wrong?" she asked "Has something happened."

"You could say that." I gasped, elbowing Steve to get him to take over so I could deal with the complete information overload I was still struggling to get through. As I moved, it drew her gaze to where Steve lay.

"Explain now." she demanded, eyes darting between the two of us "I'm not taking no for an answer."

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed. As always, If you enjoyed or have any questions for the characters, I recommend leaving a review. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	35. Facing Cresilia

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Hope you guys like the chapter, I would really appreciate some feedback on it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Shatter's POV**

"Well?" snapped Cresilia, her tone carefully covering the panic she was feeling, an emotion I could feel spilling through her link with Steve.

"I was...I meant to...I'm sorry." Stammered Steve, shrinking back from Cresilia. A light flush had spread across his features, driving the color from his already pale complexion. Slight shudders fan through his body, brought on by some reaction to what was going on. Void's attacks had not left Steve unscathed, and the strain on him from his body's attempts to heal was not making the current situation any easier.

"For what?" she asked, her composure slipping slightly as a note of confusion entered her tone.

"For this." he murmured, gesturing vaguely in my general direction.

Turning to me, her face showing traces of worry now, she asked "Do you know what he is talking about? I'm sure you're involved in this somehow but I can't figure out how someone else who looks like him fits into this whole great puzzle."

Reaching out to Steve, I asked _Should I tell her?_

*Yea.* he sent, worryingly faint.

Concerned, I asked _Are you going to be okay?_

*Mhm.* he murmured *Just tired I think. And not used to being by myself.*

_I won't leave._ I promised. Hastily I added _Unless, y'know you want me to._

*S'alright.* he murmured sleepily, his presence shifting slightly as he drifted off. A cry of alarm snapped me back to reality, giving me precious few seconds to throw my arms up in front of myself before a livid Cresilia attempted to wrap clawing hands around my throat.

"What did you do?" she hissed, eyes blazing and the first traces of rage filled tears slipping down her face. Grimacing as her grasp sent waves of pain through my already damaged arms, I attempted to block the pain from Steve with little success. Such a tiny scrap of our link remained that the slightest shift might snap it.

"I didn't do anything." I asserted, swatting away her hands.

"You lie!" she screeched, leaping towards me.

_Sorry 'bout this Stevie._ I thought, looking over his sleeping form. _We might get a little trouble for what I have to do here._ Drawing on the only kind of magic I had available to me, I threw a forcefield around me and Steve, its gray tinge leaving no mistake of what kind of magic had created it. Cresilia's eyes widened as she crashed into the surface, the energy it took to keep her from breaking through making me wince as the power was channeled through the few undamaged runes on my arms.

"You..." she hissed, drawing her blade and pointing it in my direction. "You dare to take my Steve and taint him with that dark magic. Well, you shall not live to complete that vile task." At this, the others finally decided to take action, Shadow motioning for the others to stay back as he approached Cresilia.

"Stand down." he said calmly, hands clearly visible and empty before him in an attempt to pacify Cresilia. "Shatter does not bring any harm to Steve."

"Sure he doesn't." she snapped "If you tell me that this void using creature isn't hurting my Steve, then he must have gotten to you as well." She charged at Shadow, a purple flash illuminating the room as he teleported behind her.

"Really?" he sighed, crossing his arms "I thought you were above something like that. Attacking an unarmed opponent is low, especially if they have committed no acts of hostility."

"But surely you must see!" she said "He is hurting Steve!"

Shadow glanced over, saying "How is he hurting him exactly? All I see is Steve asleep, which is hardly surprising considering what the two of them have been through to get here."

"But he did that!" she exclaimed "He did some spell and Steve passed out!"

"I was just talking to him." I said, irritated at the assumptions she was making "He's still recovering from dealing with Void." Shadow face-palmed at this, shooting me a look that questioned why I had ever mentioned that to her.

"And why was he ever in a position where he would encounter Void?" she snapped, ice in her voice.

"He put himself in that place." I said "It was my job to drag him back up out of it."

"Do not speak in riddles creature." she said "Tell me straight. Who are you and what have you done to my Steve."

"Fine, if you're going to be that way." I murmured "Name's Shatter. I'm Steve's 'other half' as you would probably put it, so quit saying I'm out to get him."

"Wait, what?" she stammered, eyes widening. "Is this true?" she asked, turning to Shadow.

"Nice." I hissed "Someone who thinks so highly of my words that they must consult one of my pair's older siblings to back it up."

"Well, you expect me to just take your word for it?" she asked, turning quickly to glare at me.

"I've done plenty of things on someone's word without confirmation. Course most of the time it was Stevie's considering that I've not met many others, but eh, it's the principle."

"Yeah, sure, and that's the same thing we're dealing with here."

"Oh for the love of peace and quiet, will you two just stop." groaned Herobrine, hands clamped over his ears. "I've been captured, humiliated, imprisoned and frozen, would it kill you to just let me have quiet? Honestly, you've just met and you're worse than me and Notch, which is pretty impressive considering that he can go on for hours."

Notch nodded in agreement, before realizing what Herobrine was implying. "Hey, I'm not that bad." he complained.

"Sure, tell yourself that." Herobrine murmured.

Beside me, I felt Steve shift, probably awoken by the events of the past few minutes. Apparently his deep sleep had not been enough to keep my struggle from him. Opening his eyes a crack to glance at me, he murmured "Quit being jealous."

"I'm not jealous." I said indignantly "I've only put up with her because you said no hurting friends."

"Not that kind of jealous." he sighed "Jealous of her because of how close she is to me." Steve's words, no matter how much they had not been for her, seemed to calm Cresilia, showing her that I had not done something horrible to Steve. After all, he would hardly speak calmly to me if I had caused some great danger to come his way.

_Of course you have always meant trouble for him. _A nagging voice spoke inside me. _You have brought trouble to him and his family_.

My brooding thoughts were interrupted by some question from Cresilia. "Hmm?" I murmured, rubbing traces of sleep from one eye and clicking my fingers together to end my forcefield spell. I needed to gather my strength, and things like the shield spell drained power dangerously quickly.

"Why haven't I heard of you before?" she repeated, clearly still wary.

"I dunno, Steve just never told you I guess." I said shrugging "He only started even talking to me recently, y'know besides the typical get out of my mind, I'm the one in charge thing. He just figured that if he ignored me, I would go away out of boredom."

"Well, no one ever told me that something like that might happen." he said, looking at Shadow.

"Don't blame me." Shadow said "I didn't believe it was a thing that could happen, so I hardly would tell you about it now would I. And you never told me that something did happen, which I could have explained if I had known."

"So how long have you been here then?" Cresilia asked me, stepping back.

"Since I was a kid." said Steve, sitting up, probably realizing that he wasn't going to get any sleep until he explained and the others went away. "And probably before I remember too. Apparently its one of those from the day someone is born things."

"I would love to carry on with this riveting conversation." said Herobrine "But there is kind of a little thing we have to address called the end of the realms. I'm not sure if you think that is important enough to take precedence over what you're doing now, but if you do, well then I have plenty to share."

"What do you mean?" asked Cresilia, turning to look at Herobrine "Has something happened in the Overworld that we don't know about?"

"You could say that." he said, crossing his arms "You could also say that there are only a few leaves in a jungle. Course right now there's not much of anything in the jungles, if you could call some of the one's I've seen that any more. Shatter know what I'm talking about I'm sure."

"Oh, right, that." I sighed "I haven't told Steve about that you know."

"Then tell him. It's his realm, he should know whats going on there."

"I've got an idea unfortunately." sighed Steve "I can feel the shift towards Chaos, but I don't really know what it looks like since I was in the magic plane since I got there with Vakara."

"Sand everywhere mostly." said Herobrine "Israphel's in charge from what I can tell, and he's spreading that Chaos sand of his everywhere."

"Yeah, Israphel's in charge." I murmured unhappily "I had to deal with him since he's pretty much declared himself leader. The Crafters seem to be finally noticing that he's not on their side though. Took them long enough considering that like half the place is just spreading desert."

"But how is that the end of realms?" asked Notch "It's not great news sure, but the realm is still under Steve's control right."

"For now." I said grimly "At the rate Israphel is growing in power, it may not be so for much longer."

"And that brings us to the issue." said Herobrine "That prophecy we got from Izra after he turned. From what I can tell, it's defiantly staring to be relevant."

"That's bad." said Shadow "It speaks of two different sand wars, and the first one all those years ago was bad enough with a Crafter host for the sand. I can't imagine what one would be like with a powerful lord."  
_It'll be worst for Stevie_ I sent to Shadow quietly _It speaks of how his realm shall fall to the sand. When we were there, he was __affected enough by Void's power. I can only imagine what would happen should they gain more sway there._

*It will be hard on him.* Shadow agreed, looking at Steve with some concern *I've tried to protect him as best I can, but there's no way for me to protect him from his own realm*

_What will happen will happen I guess. We'll just have to deal with it as best we can._

**Israphel's POV**

I gazed down across the plains of sand that extended outwards from around my stronghold, radiating out and turning the surrounding biomes into it's likeness. Below me, I could see the dark silhouettes of the new fortress constructions, diligently added to each day by the Crafters who were still loyal to me. Those who were not had been set to less vital tasks, ones whose completion were not required to maintain the stronghold. If Steve could see what I had done to his castle, if that traitor Shatter had not made me believe that I might actually have a chance of turning him as easily as it had seemed, I was sure he would be impressed. The towering ramparts that surrounded the once indefensible castle loomed up into the formerly vacant sky, providing a much more secure view of the new fortifications rather than the emptiness of the plains that had been visible before.

"So sad that you could not be persuaded to join me." I murmured, thinking of Steve "You showed me how to do so many things as a child, I just wish to do the same in return. Why can't you see that if you would only join me, it would save you so much pain. The others could even remain with you if they could be persuaded to remain harmless, or even kept that way if necessary. I'm sure you would like to be free and welcome in your realm again." Thinking back though, I remembered all the times Steve had treated me like a child. "Then again, I was a child wasn't I" I murmured "But I've grown up now. I'm not the child I once was. Perhaps you shall see this, but if not, you shall fall before me. You and all your brothers. And even Zeren, high as he feels on Chaos' throne, he shall fall before my power and might!"

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**A/N:Hey, I hope you enjoyed. As always, questions for the characters can be left in a review and I would really appreciate feedback from you guys. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	36. Planning and Meeting

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Not much to say other than hope you like this chapter, I made it extra long for you guys.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Steve's POV**

A month or two had passed since I returned to the Aether, and with each passing day I could feel more of my realm shifting towards chaos. Chaos sand filled much of it now, saturating my realm to the point where it was starting to directly affect me, as weak as my powers were. Thin lines of chaos magic arced across my skin, threatening to eat away at me unless I was able to find some way to release this magic I could not control. Squeezing my eyes closed, I pulled the thin sheet I had been sitting on tight around me, wishing that this could just stop. The whole thing with Israphel trying to take my realm was taking its toll on my body and mind.

"Please end this." I murmured, though I knew no one would hear "I don't know how much more of this I can take." I cringed as the chaos magic within me surged against my own fragile strength, stealing what little I had away from me. Wincing from each painful movement, I lay on the small cot I had been sitting on, wishing for the quietness of sleep to give me a moment without pain.

**Shadow's POV**

Sighing, I rested my head on my arms, looking across the table to where Notch was distractedly doodling on a small sheet of paper.

"I really want to see him you know." he said, breaking the silence.

"I know." I said "But you know we can't." When Steve had started to receive worsening side effects from the shifts of magic in his realm, he had left for some remote area with Shatter, not wanting us to see him in that state. Shatter came back occasionally for supplies and to tell us how Steve was doing, but he always warned us not to follow him back or try to search out Steve. His magic had reached the point where it was so fragile that any other strong source of magic of a different type would severely damage it. Not wanting to harm Steve, we had reluctantly stopped searching for him, instead gathering resources to send a few of the younger lords to find Crafters willing to help us take down Israphel. I would have preferred to go in Ender's place, as I'm sure the others would rather go in place of Notchie and Flare, but our presences were far too distinct to escape Israphel's notice. Although if those three were found by Israphel they would have problems. They had been the group that put Izra in the position to become Israphel in the first place, although the results were all on him. Their identities might keep them safe from the Crafters so long as they did not assume their true forms, but should Israphel catch them, there would be little chance of deception.

"How soon will it be until preparations are ready?" I asked, sitting up slightly to look at Notch, his wings fluttering partially open and closed as they sought to drink in the faint light seeping in beneath the curtains.

"Soon." he said, leaning back slightly to look past me. "I've almost got the portal sorted, and food supplies have been gathered. Since I know you've finished the potions, we wait only for Herobrine to finish the armor enchants, then preparations should be done. It may be a while though. His energy has faded from when it was returned to him, it came first as a flood from lack of use but now that rush weans when it is needed most. The injuries he sustained from his imprisonment are slow to heal when they heal at all." His tone was tinged with the subtle notes of worry that always emerged when he was concerned for Herobrine's well being. No matter how much the two of them fought, they still depended greatly on each other.

Still considering his words, I turned in my chair, following his gaze to where Herobrine lay asleep before a crackling fire. Biting my lip, I considered the possibilities. Finally, I said "I can do the enchantments if Herobrine is not up to it. You should work on getting the portal ready, then focus on getting Herobrine better. No matter how this ends up, we're going to have to fight at some point." I felt a flicker of relief from Notch as he took in my words, his gaze straying to Herobrine once more.

"I will do my best to get the portal up." he sighed "It all depends on how Jeb is doing today. I will do my best to have it finished by nightfall." Standing, I nodded, remembering the state Jeb had been in when Notch brought him to me that night. I had been sworn to secrecy then by a petrified Notch who had no idea how to deal with magic damage of the level that had been present. Even with Illusion's help, it had been a challenge to bring him back from the edge of death. A powerful force had splintered his life force, which in turn made his magic very unstable and created a variety of physical wounds. When I told Notch this, he had paled, loosing himself in his thoughts as he often did when he was worried. Since then though, Jeb had trouble drawing on his magic in large amounts. His fragmented life force was slow to heal and additional strain did nothing to improve this, so whenever possible his body simply refused to do things that would harm it further. Because of this, there was considerable concern about whether or not Notch and Jeb would be able to open a portal to the Overworld.

Turning, I walked from the room, my footsteps echoing down the empty hallway.

*You know you should not be doing this degree of magic.* sent Illusion *It is still far too soon after what happened with Void. Helping Jeb was one thing since it was an emergency and I suspect he is one of the high lord's chosen, but this kind of thing is not worth it.*

_It is up to me what I do with my magic._ I sent snappily.

*I am trying to help you!* sent Illusion in exasperation *If you do something that ends badly, I'm going to be stuck picking up the pieces.* More quietly he added *And I don't want to loose anyone else. Life's been hard enough already without going through that again.*

_It will be fine._ I sent _I'll take breaks in between each enchant. It shouldn't take too much out of me then._

*I hope you're right.* he murmured.

**Teloxen's POV**

I shivered as a flash of stray emotions from Shadow ran through me, sending a nervous wave running through my feathers. The unique feeling of each was becoming clear to me now, the variety of kinds present making the task of learning all the easier. Shadow's emotions always seemed to dominate the others that reached me though, especially now after the others had left for the Overworld, leaving me alone in a place with far too many memories I wished to forget. Still, I knew thy had been right to do so. I was of no use to them. Bringing me along would only serve to place a burden on them, someone who needed constant guarding to ensure that Void did not get them and who bore marks that enemies could follow like beacons. No, the others had been right to leave me here. Even so, it hurt to hear it spoken aloud. Like when you build something that you don't think looks great and someone tells you that very thing and it feels ten times worse.

Sighing, I lay back against the quartz and stone my bed was pushed against, my wings spreading slightly so they would not be squished. Closing my eyes, I felt more keenly the chill of the bricks seeping into my wings and back. I focused on this spread, using it to anchor myself as I reached out through the magic plane, trying to reach the state I had entered when confronted by a void possessed Shadow. It didn't seem to change anything though, and in disappointment I began to draw in my presence, tracing the trails of magic back to where I sat in the physical plane.

A shift on the edge of my shrinking awareness caught my attention though, and I paused, struggling to focus on the misty bluish trail that flickered in and out of view. At last I managed to catch hold of the trailing edge of it with a thin tendril of magic. As I did so, a violent burst of magic surged through me, battering at my weak form. I struggled to repel this new presence, drawing on the traces of other magic around me for power. These powers were strange to me though, the majority belonging to the Atherian lords. The power slipped through my mental fingers like water, leaving me defenseless against this force. My own magic weakly surged against the power, to no avail. Whoever this magic belonged to was much stronger than me, and I was going to pay the price for inadvertently connecting to their power.

Slowly, I let my magic fall back, leaving me open and powerless to stop any further attacks. What had happened was clearly my fault and I had to accept that. This sudden lack of resistance seemed to confuse my attacker though. The force lessened, replaced by an inquisitory strand of magic. I allowed this past my barriers, shivering at the strange touch. I shuddered as it wrapped around a section of my lifeforce, establishing a direct link.

**Who are you?** It asked, a powerful force that blasted against my consciousness. It was all I could do to keep myself from throwing up my mental barriers in an attempt to lessen the being's presence. **Why do you dare to contact me?**

_I did not know._ I managed to gasp out, the stronger presence still completely overwhelming mine. Forcing one eye open a crack in an attempt to center myself, I realized that my encounter with this more powerful being had somehow shifted my view to the magic plane once more. Approaching me along a trail of the magic I had seen was a lord with an aura the color of new ice, the same blue color the magic had been. Another inquisitive surge of magic made me wince, but it seemed to calm the other lord.

**You are that one's chosen.** She said, her sending less forceful than before. **I had thought you were an enemy or one of their kind. You are lucky I thought twice before annihilating you, but your weak magic would not belong to one of them.**

I bit back a retort, struggling to conceal my frustration at her dismissal of my magic. It might not be as strong as that of some of the others right now, but that didn't mean that I should just be dismissed.

**Have you something to say child?** The other asked, sensing my sudden conflict **Or have you just lost what little courage you had and are preparing to run away.** All my attention was placed on keeping myself from launching some ill advised attack on this lord at this point. Why were they so quick to know exactly how to push my buttons to make me furious.

A swirl of light colored magic made me look up from where I had been staring. The strand of magic led before me to where the same strange dove colored figure from when Shadow had attacked stood between me and the other lord.

"You know this one is mine Destiny." he sent, his words much less forceful than the ones from this 'Destiny' "Why do you antagonize him like he was one of your chosen."

**What I do is my business Miritayen**. She said icily **And you would do well to remember that. Not all of us are keen on your idea of complete balance you know.**

Miritayen shrugged, sending ripples sliding through his misty form. "That's alright. Balance has a place for even those who deny its virtue."

**You know I detest when you speak like that. You should accept that not everyone sees as you do.**

"There are some who need to take their own advice as well."

**What are you suggesting?**

"I suggest nothing. I know what you did to your chosen, and all I can say is that you're lucky he survived. And as I'm sure you'll love to know, it is very likely that it is because of Will that he's alive. Random chance tends to lend benefits to those with little chance of survival."

**He was here?** Destiny exclaimed, her sudden surprised sending making me wince. Whoever these two were, their mere emotions were enough to send out huge surges of magic that nearly made me black out at their strongest.

"Why does that surprise you? You were sending out an aura so strong I'm surprised that Void and the Atherian lords didn't catch on."

Destiny's aura surged as if she was going to reply before she turned away. **Do not speak of this to anybody**. She said coldly before teleporting away.

"Are you alright?" Miritayen asked, kneeling beside me. As he moved his magic solidified slightly, the other side of the room no longer visible through his misty form. In this more solid state I could make out the outline of large wings as his movements made them shift ever so slightly. As he drew closer and our aura overlapped, I felt a snap of magic and all at once my vision shifted. It was almost like being partially under water, with the top half of my vision dominated by the normal view of the world while the bottom section looked into the magic plane. Curiously, I turned to look at Miritayen, wondering what he looked like in the physical plane. Or indeed if he was visible at all, since I had not seen him there the last time our paths had crossed.

As I moved though, the images seemed to almost transpose themselves over each other, my perception unable to keep up with the two vastly different methods of sight. Squeezing my eyes tightly closed, I pushed my fingers against my forehead, trying to lessen the sudden, excruciating pain the strange double vision had triggered. Beside me, I felt Miritayen freeze at this moment.

"Is something wrong?" he asked carefully.

"I don't know." I gasped, wincing as each word sent another streak of pain through my already pounding skull. Wordlessly, Miritayen reached a hand over to turn my right arm palm up. I felt the touch of delicate fingers across the still tender flesh where the rune had appeared. Tensing slightly at the unexpected touch, I raised my guard as best as I could through the searing pain.

As if sensing my unease, Miritayen said "Do not be afraid. I shall not harm you. This I promise, upon my honor and life." This did little to reassure me, for I had often been lied to through promises. Zeren had seen it as some kind of game to see how long it would be before I finally lost my trusting demeanor. Yet another thing that he had stolen from me.

When he did nothing further, I pried one eye open, looking through the double vision to see what was the matter. My gaze met Miritayen's, who it seemed was indeed visible in the physical plane. His eyes were filled with confusion, and even traces of fear.

"May I continue?" he asked hesitantly "I don't want to harm you, but if you are uncomfortable, I could try to figure out some other way to fix this."

"Just do it." I hissed, trying to block out the pain caused by my view of two different planes. Wide eyed, Miritayen nodded, closing his eyes. A steady stream of his magic poured into me through the rune, its ordered structure quieting my jumbled thoughts. I felt the subtle shifts of a few minor spells, but after a minute the flow of magic stopped, and I felt an air of unease surround him.

"What are these marks?" he asked, tracing a finger over one of the marks I had received from Zeren so long ago. "They feel dark, binding you." A flash of betrayal ran through his aura and he flinched back, looking me over with confusion and hurt. "Have you sworn loyalty to another?"

"No, no." I assured him "Although I don't really remember swearing loyalty to you in the first place."

Miritayen looked away, hurt visible in his eyes. "I will not force you to remain on my alliance if you do not wish to." he said quietly, his tone pained "I would be willing, unlike the others, to retract my mark. Then you could be free of this conflict. Is that what you want?"

"No." I said hurriedly. "I mean, no, I do want to stay. Sure, I don't really know what you are trying to do, but it seems like your intentions are for the best."

"That's what I hope as well." he said sighing. "It can often be easy to loose sight of the virtues of balance, but I try my best. Now, let's get you sorted out, then I must be going. And you must not tell anyone that I have been here. Okay?" I nodded, and I felt him start the flow of magic again. After a few moments, he stopped, leaning back. "You should be good now."

Carefully, I peeked one eye open, opening the other when I realized that there was no longer any strange double vision.

"You should be able to access the magic plane more easily now." said Miritayen "If that is indeed what you wish to do. Be warned though, there is a reason I had wanted you to be cautious when dealing with it. As you have seen, it is easy to be lost or trapped within it, unable to leave it without the help of someone who has experience in doing so." I nodded absentmindedly, his words glossing over me a bit as I took in his appearance. It was a bit strange that it was only now that I was able to see the one who had now saved me twice at extreme risk to themselves. He was built like a Chaos lord, but at the same time, different, his build much slighter than that of most Chaos lords. Large, dove gray wings the same color as his magic loomed over his thin frame, seeming to cast it in an eternal shadow. The majority of his hair was light, something between blond and white, while several sections were jet black. His mostly white and pale gray garments provided a sharp contrast to his surprisingly dark skin, tanned to almost a hazel hue.

"Be safe." he murmured, trailing a strand of magic across me that made me yawn. This whole encounter had taken a lot out of me. Sighing, I lay on my bed, pulling the several layers of blankets over top of me and letting the peaceful bliss of sleep wash over me.

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**A/N: Hey, I hope you guys have enjoyed. If so, please consider leaving a review. You can also leave any questions for the characters there or PM them to me. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	37. To the Overworld

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I would really like to hear from you guys on what you think of the story so far, I have trouble judging it accurately. This chapter may be a bit weird, I wrote part of it while watching the Mianite finale and there were a lot of feels. Also, at some point I will be working on a couple rewrites for _Shadow's Story_ so that the entire story doesn't happen over the course of only six to eight months, which should give a lot of the lords much more reasonable ages. It should also actually give a reasonable time of when _Fair-Weather Celebration_ would have taken place, considering that Herobrine and Shadow are banished within a week of each other and Shadow is in the Nether for most of that time. On with the chapter!**

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**Ender's POV**

"Are you sure you will be alright?" asked Shadow for like the eight time.

"Yes, I'm sure." I sighed, rolling my eyes. Flare snickered as he caught my gaze.

*You know he's just trying yo help.* said Mist, her sending failing to conceal her amusement.

_Yes, but the same answer is not going to make us any safer around here._ I said, turning my attention back to the others. Looking at everyone, it was hard to see us as a group that could change the fate of realms, although I figured that since we had done this before, it would be no more difficult than that. Seeing the others like this though, it made me realized how different our situation was now than it had been then. We had gotten lucky then, given that the Chaos lords had planned to leave about the time we showed up anyway. But this time, there would be no lucky break to keep us from the full force of fighting. We had to be ready at any point to give our all to protect the others of the realms because they were depending on us.

*It will be fine.* sent Flare, a fleeting touch that held traces of the doubt he held within himself as well. *We can handle this. We've just got to keep Notchie from bolting once we're down there. He's kind of totally freaked out about this whole thing.* Turning slightly I looked to where Notchie, the third member of our little travel group, stood uneasily next to Notch, close enough that the edge of his wing brushed against Notch's, providing some level of comfort to the younger lord.

"Have all your stuff?" asked Herobrine softly, gaze flicking up from where he had been focused on the floor. He had remained incredibly distant since he returned, even towards the few of his lords who had made it out of the Overworld. It was only around Notch that he seemed to perk up a bit, the presence of his twin boosting his strength enough to actually do things while his injuries continued to heal. Briefly I wondered how long he would stay in this near silent state before he recovered. It was unnerving for one I knew as a hyper and cheery lord who delighted in playing tricks on others to be seen so silent and still. The others were picking up on this as well, both Amelia and Cresilia disappearing together for hours to discuss their male counterparts. One development that had delighted Notch in the midst of all these morale lowering events had been that the Chaos lords had decided to travel to the Overworld as well, leaving several day sago by their own methods to do who knows what. They had left behind Teloxen though, a fact that no one had bothered to tell Notch yet, hoping that the younger Chaos lord would join the others before Notch was to ever find out.

"Come on Notchie." said Notch, giving the younger lord a light push towards the center of the room. Wide eyes nervous, Notchie turned to him.

"Do I have to?" he whispered, clasping his hands together behind his back.

"Yes." said Notch "We have already discussed this. Your companions will keep any Chaos lords from catching you. Isn't that right?" His gaze warned that any words of contradiction would not be met with kindness.

"I guess so." squeaked Notchie, the flashes of nervous color splashed across his wings betraying his true feelings.

*We shall not permit Vakara to take you hostage.* said Mist, intervening and getting straight to the point. To be honest, I was pretty sure the only reason that Notchie was coming with us rather than some other was that Notchie didn't want to have to deal with Herobrine and Jeb and Notchie, all of who seemed to require his attention for various reasons.

Notchie nodded reluctantly. "Come on." said Flare, flicking his tail up to rest on Notchie's shoulder. "I've got your armor and stuff, other than that we are ready." The young one nodded, closing his eyes. With a flash of light his wings disappeared, leaving him slightly off balance for a second. Flare followed suit, his true form soon replaced by its less suspecting Crafter version, his blaze wands safely concealed beneath appropriately styled Crafter garments. Trying to ignore the side long glances from the others, I shifted into my Crafter form, quickly reaching over my shoulder to zip closed the slits that usually allowed my wings through my shirt.

"Ready?" asked Flare, helping Notchie to put on his armor. I nodded, stepping towards the portal. A portal that I really, really hoped was built far enough from the other that we would not end up in Israphel's castle. Cautiously I stepped through, feeling the shift in magic as I went from the Aether to the Overworld, a shift much less drastic than that from the Nether to the Overworld.

As I stepped out, I blinked the dazzle from my eyes, the rising sun outlining a nearby Crafter settlement. "Let's hurry." said Flare, drawing a diamond sword as he glanced uneasily at a group of mobs looking our way. "If we run, we should be able to sneak into the town before anyone notices. They might look at us a bit strange if we suddenly show up just after dawn in full diamond gear."

"Why?" asked Notchie, gaze flicking towards the shadows nervously "Don't they do that kind of thing?"

"Mob hunters do." I said, keeping an eye on a group of creepers that were eying us "But they know each other and rarely hunt with outsiders. Also you look a bit young to be a mob hunter Notchie."

"But you said that Crafters get jobs when their like twenty." said Notchie indignantly "I'm older than that."

"Well you don't look it." said Flare "And that's the issue."

"Crafters don't live as long as Star lords Notchie." I said "Twenty is still a kid for your kind, but for them it is when they become an adult." Grabbing his shoulder, I jumped forward, pulling us both out of the way of several fired arrows. The longer we just stood here, the more mobs would start to attack us.

"Come on." I said.

"But what about the portal?" asked Notchie "It's glowing and pretty tall, someone is sure to notice it. And its kind of our only way to get home."

"Well, technically Mirexal is down here somewhere." Pointed out Flare.

"There are some vines and leaves over here." I said, sprinting over towards a small marshy area and pulling out a pair of shears to harvest the foliage. The harvest of leaves revealed something strange when several large blocks of sand fell through the gap in the leaf cover. "What the heck?" I gasped, climbing atop the blocks to see where they had come from.

"What's up there?" called Flare, watching Notchie anxiously poke one of the newly fallen blocks of sand.

"I think you better see this." I replied. There simply were no words to describe accurately what lay before me. It looked as if someone had taken a normal part forest, part plains biome, and dropped a desert atop it, leaving every block two to four blocks deep in sand. Long pale gray streaks ran through the sand, barely noticeable on the individual blocks but clear when seen on such a scale. Cacti and small, scrubby brown bushes seemed to be the only vegetation atop this strange arrangement, the places where the sand had ended up on top of trees revealing small patches of stringy grass and leaves that looked all but dead. Flare poked his head around one of the leaf blocks, his bright orange-red hair showing up sharply against the light colored sand.

"What happened here?" gasped Flare.

"Chaos desert." said Notchie, crawling up the sand blocks to join us.

"What so you mean?" asked Flare "This could be something else."

"What other kind of desert do you know of that just appears on top of another biome like this?" he asked, gesturing at the sand covered biome for emphasis, flicking a strand of hair out of his eyes.

A shudder ran through the tree we sat in and Notchie's eyes widened as he tried to steady himself and only succeeded in falling through the hole he had climbed.

"What do we have here?" a voice from below asked, followed by an alarmed cry from Notchie. Exchanging glances with Flare, I carefully moved towards the hole in the treetop, motioning for Flare to follow. We had promised to keep Notchie safe after all. Looking down, I could not see very much of what was going on, the blocks of sand concealing what was happening. Drawing my diamond sword I carefully dropped down, landing on the block with only a small puff of sand to indicate my fall. Hurriedly I slipped behind a curtain of vines, focusing on where two armor clad figures stood over a clearly terrified Notchie.

"What are we going to do with this child?" asked one "Our shift is not done yet, and he can hardly come with us. A mob would take him out almost instantly."

"Be patient Karpath." the other, presumably older figure said "It is unlikely that anyone this young is traveling alone. We just have to wait until the others are confident enough to show themselves."

"I guess so." murmured Karpath "Hopefully they don't take too long. The others will only wait so long for us before they eat breakfast."

"There is more to life than breakfast Karpath." the older man chided.

"Yeah, but its like I get so little to eat anyway with all the shortages, I don't exactly want to miss the little that I get."

"Learn to suffer in silence then, complaining will do nothing."

"But father!"

"No buts Karpath. Your argumentative attitude is probably keeping them away anyhow, so if you want to get home, I would advise being quiet." Glaring at the man who was apparently his father, Karpath stood glaring into the foliage, probably not seeing all that much judging by his narrowed eyes.

*It does not seem as if they are hostile.* sent mist slowly, taking in the scene before us *And we are looking to mix with Crafters. Perhaps this would be a good time to begin.*

_Alright. But Flare stays hidden for now. Then if trouble comes, we have a plan B._ Still clutching my blade, I pushed the curtain of vines aside, sending the green tendrils swinging. Karpath jumped back at my sudden appearance, but his father seemed unphased by my sudden appearance, a slight smile crossing his lips as I emerged.

*Be careful.* sent Mist *This one is clever. He knew you were there, though there is no strong magic within him.*

_I will_. I sent, approaching the two Crafters.

"Is this one with you?" the older one asked, nodding towards Notchie who had turned his terror filled eyes on me.

"Yes." I sighed "He likes to run off."

"I fell." he sniffed, picking himself off the ground "It hurt."

"You'll be okay." Looking over him quickly, I could see no injuries. His armor seemed to have protected him from the worst of the fall.

"So what are you doing so close to the sand?" the older man asked "It's not safe."

"We were traveling." I said, wracking my brain for a coherent story to explain why we were there."

*Its things like this we should have done before leaving the Aether rather than having Shadow ask if we were ready over and over.* chimed Mist, obviously amused.

"It got late and well we were out here with no where else to go. So we traveled through the night and ended up seeing the torches from the settlement over there. Trying to get to it took us this close to the sand."

"Karpath, what do you think of their story?" the older Crafter asked.

Karpath blinked "I don't know" he shrugged "It seems true enough."

"What about when you add that to what's over there?" he asked, pointing towards the clearing behind us."

"A portal?" gasped Karpath, eyes widening "Wow! I've never seen one before."

"They were never common in the first place." the older Crafter said "But now they are almost completely a myth." Turning to me, he said "It is clear that you are not who you say you are. I think you better come with me before you get yourself into any more trouble."

"Maybe you're right." I said uneasily. *Follow us.* I sent to Flare *And make sure not to be seen.*

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed. Please consider leaving a review or questions for the characters. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	38. Overreactions

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I hope you guys enjoy this.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft**

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**Ender's POV**

Karpath and his father led us towards the Crafter settlement, our footsteps crunching on the sand as we moved. It seemed as if the area where the portal had spawned was somewhat sheltered by the marshy area, the sand having trouble with the excess of water. As we approached the settlement, the true scale of it was revealed. I had assumed that like most it would be nothing more than a collection of small dwellings with a few farms and a market. This was far more organized than that, with a much more professional look than in most of the villages I had seen. From here I could see little beyond a guard station and of course the massive wood and stone brick walls that surrounded the buildings to keep out mobs and sand alike.

Between us and the relative safety of the walls stood a group of zombies. As we drew closer they turned their attention towards us, half decayed arms reaching out in our direction in hope of a meal.

"Stay back." Karpath's father said, holding up a hand "We can deal with this" Saying that, he drew a damaged iron sword, raising it towards the zombies that were now shuffling towards us.

_Is he serious? _I asked Mist dryly _A couple of zombies are hardly a threat._

*You have to remember that Crafters are not as resilient as the lords you usually associate with.* chided Mist *Their gear is also not as easily obtained.* The two of them attacked the zombies, but it was clear that they were outmatched., the older Crafter having to go out of his way to protect the somewhat reckless Karpath.

One zombie managed to catch Karpath off guard from behind, his father's words a moment too late as the mob sank its gnashing teeth into the teen's shoulder. An animalistic howl emanated from Karpath, his sword dropping in the frenzy as he tore his shoulder from the vile creature's mouth, hand clamped protectively over the injury in a vain attempt to stem the steady bleeding.

"That's it." I murmured as I tool in the scene in disgust "Notchie, cover me." The younger lord nodded, retrieving his blowgun from some pocket, the only weapon he seemed to be able to use with any kind of accuracy.

*Be careful light.* sent Mist to Notchie, the tail end of the sending brushing against me. *You're in Crafter form so the darts might be able to hurt you.*

*Uh-huh, yup.* he sent, intense focus tinting every word. *It's healing darts for undead anyway.* Shutting out their sendings, I drew my diamond sword, pausing for a brief second as I mentally took into account the shift in balance between my Enderlord and Crafter forms. Then I was into the fray, each zombie falling before me with a pair of slashes, leaving the bodies in pieces before they fades to nothingness, leaving behind a few scraps. Slightly breathless from the sudden burst of activity, I turned to the two Crafters, wondering how they were taking this. Karpath's father looked stunned at my display, but a moan of pain from Karpath drew his attention back to his injured child.

"It hurts father." whispered Karpath, pain filled tears streaking down his cheeks.

"I know." his father said "But you have to show me. I can't help you if I can't see what's wrong." Reluctantly Karpath drew his hand away from his shoulder, revealing the jagged bite mark beneath. Already traces of the green poison zombies used to transform others to their own kind could be seen crusting the wound, making their way into the younger Crafter's system. At the sight of this, the older Crafter's face fell.

"Father, what's wrong?" asked Karpath, a note of fear present in his voice.

"I'm sorry Karpath." he said, voice filled with grief. Stepping forward, he raised his sword over his child's head. I stood frozen in complete shock at what he was going to do. Was this really what Crafters were willing to do in order to keep the ones they loved from joining the ranks of the undead? As he swung downward a yellow blur streaked past, followed by a cry of pain as the blade struck not the neck of the younger Crafter, but Notchie's armored forearm, leaving a long indentation in the armor. "Why did you do that?" the older Crafter snarled, glaring at where Notchie stood over Karpath's shivering form "Can't you see that this is hard enough for me already."

"Then why are you trying to kill him?" asked Notchie, clutching his bruised arm close, one eye trained on the still raised blade.

"Are you blind?" the older Crafter cried, trying to push the Starlord aside. "He has been infected. The only thing we can do for him now is to end it before he suffers."

"And that is where you and I disagree." said Notchie.

"Notchie." I said warningly "Remember why we're here."

"I'm not just going to stand by and let him kill his child while there is something I can do about it." said Notchie snappily "It goes against everything I believe."

"What are you two talking about?" the Crafter asked, voice a mix of fury and desperation. "If there's something you can do for him, well then do it, but if not don't prolong this. I want to spare him from as much pain as possible." Notchie looked at me with pleading eyes, asking for permission for one of the things we had decided was out of the question on this journey.

"Ugh, fine." I sighed, turning my eyes skywards "but if Israphel comes streaking out of the desert after it, you're taking the blame." Notchie nodded, pulling open the slits on the back of his shirt and closing his eyes. A shiver ran through his body as light gathered around his torso, solidifying into the now distinct shape of his wings.

"Aetherkind." whispered the elder Crafter, taking a step back in awe or fear. Notchie flashed a smile towards him, an innocent expression that seemed to mollify the Crafter's initial reaction.

"Yeah, you got me. Secret's out, I'm from the Aether. Although I thought you'd already know that, I mean we did come through said glowy glowstone portal."

"Notchie focus!" I yelled, snapping the Starlord out of his absentminded tangent.

"Right, urgent stuff." he blushed slightly, pale pastel streaks illuminating his wings. Crouching next to the shivering Karpath he set hesitant fingers on the wound, biting his lip as Karpath flinched away from the touch. "Don't worry." Notchie said to Karpath, his voice carrying a faint hint of magic intended to calm Karpath, something I suspected he had picked up from watching Shadow break up Notch and Herobrine's constant squabbles. "This might hurt a bit right now, but it will make you feel better. Now tell me, what do you want to be when you get older?"

Blinking slightly in surprise at this sudden shift in topic, Karpath replied "I wanna be a guard like father. Then I'd be able to help peo-" His last word was int erupted by a loud screech as Notchie poured his healing magic into Karpath. There was defiantly a reason that healings were usually carried out while the patient was unconscious.

*You sure that's enough to get rid of it?* asked Mist.

*Yeah,* sent Notchie some what distractedly *Straight healing's enough against undead diseases like this, it's poisons that pose a problem and need special potions.*

"How do you feel?" asked Notchie, offering the young Crafter a hand.

"It still hurts." whimpered Karpath "But it's less... tingly" He said after a moment. His father let out a sigh of relief at this. His son's wound still looked bad, but the telltale signs of the zombie infection had faded.

"You done trying to kill him then?" asked Notchie, casting a wary glance at the child's father. He nodded, reaching towards Karpath. Notchie stepped out of the way, allowing the now relieved father to reach his child.

"I thought I had lost you." he said, voice muffled as he wrapped his arms around Karpath and drew him close. "After what happened to your mother, I don't know what I would have done if I lost you."

*Leaving out the bit where he was the reason he would have lost him.* remarked Notchie *I will never understand Crafters. Give me a mob any day, at least they make sense.*

"Can we go home father?" the younger Crafter asked, leaning back to look at his father with pain filled eyes.

"Of course Karpath." he said, picking him up and looping the child's legs around his waist, careful to avoid bumping against Karpath's injured shoulder. "We can treat your injuries better when we get back. Come on you two."

"Why?" asked Notchie, folding his arms. "It's pretty clear that we can outmatch you. Why should we have to follow you?"

"Notchie." I said warningly. The last thing we wanted to do was to alienate all the Crafters we had come here to get on our side.

"No, I think you should let him say what he has to say." The older Crafter said, cocking an eyebrow at Notchie.

"I'm just so fed up with everybody taking advantage of me." spat Notchie, furious red streaks flashing across his wings. "It's all heal this and fix that with no asking my opinion of it. Does anyone ever just stop and thing about how I might feel about any of this?" The younger lord froze, the color draining from his face. "Did I actually say that?" He asked hesitantly, his wings paling to match his complexion.

*Yup* said Mist *Feel better?*

_Shut it Mist._

*I'm not surprised actually.* snickered Mist *The kid trails after Notch like a shadow and that lord's got as much of a temper as his brother, though it shows itself less often.*

"You sure did." the older Crafter said.

"I didn't mean it like that, it just kind of came out." said Notchie, eyes downcast. "I apologize for my words."  
"It is forgiven." he said "Now come along." Notchie nodded, lowering his wings.

"What's your name anyway, Mr. Crafter guard." I asked "We know who your kid is, but we have not had a proper introduction."

"Oh, that." he remarked, looking over Karpath's shoulder "I'm Verigan. One of the head guards over in Mistral City, which is where we're going. And you are?"

"I'm Ender, this is Notchie."

"Are you all from the Aether?" he asked.

"No." I said.

"Then you are from... where exactly?" he asked, trying for more information

"That is not something I am willing to reveal at the moment. Things would be complicated if word of where I was from was to spread."  
"Maybe we should hurry." said Notchie, tactfully trying to change the subject "Karpath's wound needs treating and hanging around here is hardly going to accomplish that."

"Right." nodded Verigan "It should be safe enough now. The sun's been up long enough that the only thing we've got to worry about is Creepers."

Shooting Notchie a greatful glance I followed the Crafter as he carried his child, journeying ever closer to the supposed safety of this Mistral City, away from the call of the desert. For I could feel the lure of Chaos as it shifted the Overworld, breaking the wills og many who would not otherwise fall under its sway. It was only a matter of rime until all fell before it, making time all the more precious, leaving none to waste.

_It has come._ I thought _The time of the second great prophecy, given by he who knew what he would become from its telling. We must prepare for what is to come,__ for it speaks of much pain and conflict before the realms have a chance at peace again._

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**A/N: Hope you guys all enjoyed. As always, you can leave questions in a review or PM them to me and feedback is always greatly appreciated. I know you guys are reading and I would really love to hear from even a couple of you. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	39. Crafter Council

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I'd really love to hear from you guys, but until then on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Ender's POV**

"Can we go now?" groaned Notchie, sitting with his legs splayed out in front of him as he flopped back against the wall of the guard building, blond hair fluttering every which way and frustrated colors crossing his wings. Apparently it was unusual for guards to suddenly appear with guests, especially ones they swore had save their partner who happened to also be their child. No, the Mistral guards at the gate were quite suspicious when we turned up, taking us into custody and leading Verigan and Karpath off to do who knows what. The fact that Notchie was in his Starlord form did little to help us, for it seemed that at least a few of the guards were able to tell an Aetherian lord from a Starlord. The Starlords still had a bad reputation from when Teloxen was ruling the Aether, many Crafters never having heard the true events of what happened.

"No." snapped the guard "If you are going to be able to leave then we will tell you. Until then, for Notch's sake shut up!"

Glaring at the guard Notchie flicked his wings, muttering under his breath as the man turned away and walked from the room. Sighing, I turned my back to the younger lord. His disdain for Crafters had become all the more apparent with his interactions with the guards. They had promoted the destruction of his kind and that was not easily forgotten, even by one so forgiving as Notchie. Teloxen at least had made an effort to make up for what had happened and he had been forgiven for the most part. The Crafters had made no such effort though, so his resentment remained.

_Dear stars, why did you have to send this one with me you self serving realmkind._ I thought, squeezing my eyes closed and clutching my head in my hands. _You could have sent any of the others along, yet here I am stuck with one of the ones who gets along the worst with Crafters. Would it kill you to deal with your own problems instead of giving them to me?_

*Ah, but then you would not learn so much from it.* said Mist smugly.

_That's all they ever go for._ I grumbled _Never considering that I might have better things to do than lead some little light through the realm on some mission one of them could do in a snap._

*And what kind'a other thing would that be?* asked Mist, her tone playful *Flirting and making kissy looks at Flarey?*

_Mist, I told you never to bring that up._ I said, doing my best to hide a furious blush.

*Ender, they all know about it already.* she said sighing *Even Notch, and he's a bit clueless when it comes to romance.*

_ Yeah, well I still would like to have it feel like I've kept it a secret until I choose to reveal it._ A hand on my shoulder broke my concentration, ending my conversation with Mist.

"The Crafter guards are back." Notchie said, voice edged with a trace of the fear he had always shown after we first met "They say the council wishes to speak to us."

"Do they now." I said, leaning a hand against the wall to steady myself as I rose. "Well, it wouldn't look good if we kept them waiting now would it?" Breezing past him, I followed the guard as he went off towards what I presumed was the council area. The sound of booted footsteps and the clank of armor that didn't quite fit right sounded behind Notchie's light steps, and I resisted the urge to look and see how many guards had been commanded to watch us.

Opening myself slightly to the magic plane, I started as Mist pulled back, resisting the shift and drawing me back in on myself.

*Not here.* she stated *Not now. There are magic users in the area and they probably already know you are not of the Crafter kind. Don't do anything that they can use against you. Got it?* Knowing that she would understand I nodded, not wanting to risk a sending if they were indeed watching.

The guard before me stopped stopped outside a long, low building with a pointed roof. Rapping briefly on the door, the guard anxiously waited for some sign that he had been heard. A shout from within the room was apparently good enough, for he abruptly pulled the door open, gesturing of us to enter. Warily I walked through the doorway, every sense alert in an effort to discover what would usually come easily to me from magical sources. The dim room before me was lit only with a few torches, most areas barely bright enough to stop mobs from spawning. The group before us was a motley one, haggard and showing the strain of leadership and survival. But their eyes all held the same determined fire that I had often seen reflected in Steve's expressions.

"So these are the ones who have been confusing our guards." one of the men said, a dark haired man with a sour expression and a pair of thick lensed goggles pushed up into his wild mane of hair. These along with the thick, wool padded jacket and leather gloves he wore identified him as one of the Skylords.

"I'm sure they didn't mean anything of it." Another said, this one a man clad in a star splashed gray robe. "Although they could at least have the courtesy of showing their true form."

"You mean this isn't really who they are?" the Skylord gasped with a degree of sarcasm. "I would never guess such a thing could be true about those who we had taken prisoner."

"Skylord Daniel, there is no need for that." a man said condescendingly "They very well might have done what Verigan claims they did. We should at least give them a chance to say what they're here for."

"But Timothy."

"No Daniel, you had your say. We will hear them out then decide what to do." Turning to face us, the man who had reprimanded Skylord Daniel stood, taking a step towards where we stood surrounded by guards. He was a man with a strong build, his garments and skin showing the stains and scars that came with being a blacksmith. "I am Timothy Duke, one of the council members of this city. You are..." he trailed off his sentence in a way that told me there was no other option besides telling him.

"I'm Ender, he's Notchie." I said flatly, telling as little as I possibly could under the current situation.

"Interesting." he murmured. Focusing again he said "Now Cameron had told us that at least one of you is not in their 'true form' as he put it. So if you would not mind, I would like whichever of you it is to change to that form or whatever." His tone left no doubt that while it seemed like an honest request, it was not optional in the slightest.

"Who's Cameron?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at the Crafter.

"Wizard guy over there." he said, gesturing to the man in the gray, star covered robe.

*He's legit friend, you better do it or they'll think we're hiding something from them.*

_Alright, fine miss bossy._ Closing my eyes, I drew on my magic to shift forms. As I did, I expanded my awareness, taking in the people around me. If they expected me to show my true self to them, the least they could do would be to share a bit back as well. A collective gasp ran through the group as the purple mist disolved around me, revealing my true form. _Remember __Timothy._ I sent to him, tone grim _That whatever happens here, you are the one who wanted me to do this openly. __I bear no responsibility for whatever happens because of it._ The man nodded, paling slightly. The Enderlords were seen as creatures on the level with, if not worse, that Herobrine when it came to creatures of darkness, yet another result of Teloxen's rule. Where the Starlords were seen as lowly traitors to be killed on sight, Enderlords were considered to be huge threats that should be avoided at all costs.

"The other one too." Cameron said, surprisingly unphased by my transformation. _But that's how it should be._ I mused _Anyone who can see magic would find it pretty obvious that I am most defiantly not a Crafter._

"What, me?" asked Notchie, voice coming out as more of a squeak than as actual words.

"No, not you." said the wizard, waving his hand dismissively "Why would I want you to shift, you're clearly in your actual form. I mean that one." His accusatory finger was pointed towards what looked like a blank patch on the wall.

"Uh, Cameron, there is nothing there." Timothy said, exchanging a glance with some farmer looking fellow.

Sighing in exasperation, Cameron said "Well, wasn't sayin you could see him now was I. And you over there, you aren't fooling me. Come over and show yourself before I have to come over and help you do it." The other council members exchanged more uneasy glances, the occasional whispers and snickers passed between them. Apparently Cameron was not the most well liked among the council. Wizards were often outcasts among the Crafters without magic, so it was not too much of a stretch to believe that he was seen as a bit nuts by the others.

Looking towards where Cameron had pointed, I didn't see anything, but a single tendril of magic told me what he was talking about. _Flarey, what are you doing over there you silly." _I asked _I told you to stay hidden, not go waltzing through the city where magic users might stumble on you._ A burst of mixed emotions from Flare gave me everything I needed to confirm that it was indeed Flare.

A shimmer crossed the air where where he stood, followed by a flickering ring of flames that had the Crafter council flinching back and reaching for buckets. When it dissipated, Flare was revealed, blaze ring pulled close around his waist and tail twitching nervously at the many eyes on him.

"Happy now?" he asked, an edge in his voice.

"Yeah, it's all good now." the wizard said, leaning back to regard us all.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Timothy said "Well yes, now that is all figured out, why exactly are you here?"  
"What?" exclaimed Skylord Daniel, slamming his hands down on the table and standing "Are we just going to ignore the fact that one of their demon friends has apparently been hiding in our building for who knows how long."

A figure crashing through the doorway made everyone turn towards the source of the noise, Daniel's accusations forgotten. "Sir, there are creatures outside the city!." The guard gasped, staggering breathlessly into the room, bracing himself on the doorway.

"What?" demanded Timothy, standing abruptly.

"Well he's hardly going to be of use." The farmer Crafter said, hurriedly walking towards the door. "Let's go out and see what's happening there. This guy, he's not going to be able to tell us anything."

"Come along you three." Cameron said, ushering us out the door with a flourished hand. We trailed after the others towards the main wall, stopping suddenly just short of it.

"What's going on?" I asked, craning my neck back in an effort to see what had caused the others to stop.

"Dunno." said Cameron shrugging. He pushed us forwards, easily parting the group. Before us I saw a sight that surprised me. Several very familiar figures stood just inside the wall.

"Hello you guys." said Mirexal, fluttering up and waving to us through the crowd "Did you miss us?"

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**Hey, I hope you guys enjoyed this. Consider leaving a review or leaving questions for the characters. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	40. Confrontation in the City

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. So we're over 1,500 views for Izra's Fall, and I just wanted to thank you guys for sticking with me for this long. On with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Ender's POV**

"You three know these... creatures?" asked Timothy, turning from his wide eyed examination of the Chaos lords to examine us, distrust and skepticism gracing his features.

"Yes." sighed Flare, rolling his eyes at Mirexal "Although sometimes we wish we didn't."

"You associate with Chaos kind?" asked Cameron mildly, drawing a startled gasp from many of the Crafters. Apparently they knew what Chaos lords were but had no idea what they looked like. "What?" he asked, noticing everyone's shocked expressions "I didn't mean anything by it. Not all Chaos lords want to bury things in giant sand dunes."

"Yeah, Israphel is kind of known for doing that." said Sallen, fluttering his wings slightly to dislodge the fine particles of sand that clung to them.

"Don't say that name." hissed the farmer Crafter, glancing over his shoulder as if he expected to see the sand lord standing there.

"Why not?" asked Sallen, eyebrow raised "He would have to be feeling very brave to take on three of us at once, especially with the other lords here to help."

"Or very stupid." snorted Rayko.

"Careful Rayko." warned Sallen "I'm not saying there's no chance he's around, and if you give him a reason he will try to take you out. He does have Zeren and Void as backup, and while I can handle Zeren, Void's a Cosmic lord. If we have to face him, we're done."

"So these are Chaos kind?" asked Timothy looking them over, his tone holding traces of contempt.

"Yes." said Sallen icily "And is there a problem with that?"

"Course there is!" said Skylord Daniel, striding towards Sallen. The blue winged lord raised an eyebrow at this, an interested expression partially concealing the warning his eyes displayed.

"Oh?" he asked, regarding the Crafter's approach.

"Yeah!' the Skylord said "See, there's a thing about races. Their people all share certain things. For us Crafters, it's our amazing intelligence and building skills." I elbowed Flare as he attempted to conceal his snickering, the sound drawing the attention of several of the Crafters. "You Chaos lords though, you all bring trouble. And what's with the pink one, he looks like some accident of breeding. Surely not someone who could amount to much."

At the last bit, Mirexal flushed, eyes downcast as he pulled his wings close to his back. Sallen's expression had remained slightly irritated as the Skylord spoke, but anger covered his features as he saw how the last bit had affected Mirexal.

"Take that back." he hissed, eyes narrowing and wings raised slightly.

"Why should I?" Daniel said lightly, spreading his hands in a gesture of helplessness. "It's not like doing that would make it any less true." At this, Sallen lept forwards, driving the crafter to the ground. He raised his wings raised menacingly over Daniel, his arms pinned beneath hands that dug into the exposed flesh like claws.

"I don't care if you speak bad of me or my kind." growled Sallen, leering down at the now petrified Crafter. "But if you ever speak of my brother like that again, well no force in the realms will be able to save you then." The Crafter paled, finally seeming to understand the severity of what he had done. Sallen released his grasp on him, sitting back slightly to allow him to slide away, eyes still following his every movement. When he was sufficiently far away, Sallen stood, raising an eyebrow at the array of weaponry now pointed at him.

"Is this some kind of welcoming party?" he asked, gently pushing aside a sword tip that had gotten too close to him.

"After that last display you dare to ask such a thing of us?" asked Timothy in shock "You attacked one of our people!"

"It was provoked and I did no damage beyond what a slight fall does." said Sallen "Anyway, I did not have to come here to help you with your little sand problem. If you'd like you can mark me as a fugitive and I can leave you to your brand new sand box of a city."

"The sand will never get into the city." said Timothy assuredly "We need no help from your kind."

"Well, okay then." said Sallen, making a helpless gesture "I've offered my help and they refused it. I guess they will fall to the sand then." With that he turned, motioning for the others to follow. *You three can come along too if you'd like.* he sent, continuing to walk away *This bunch is beyond helping.*

"Stop." said Cameron. Sallen turned slightly, looking over his shoulder.

"Yes?" he said neutrally.

"Excuse the others." he said, bowing his head slightly "They are unwilling to admit that they made a mistake."

"Oh? So you would like our assistance?"

"Very much so. Without it, our city will soon be swallowed by the sands."

"Cameron!" shouted Timothy, turning a bright red color "Know your place!"

"I do." The wizard said coolly, regarding his Crafter associate "And that place is not beneath mountains of sand, which is where we are going to end up if we do not have help. Forget the sand never entering the city, it did that weeks ago. You know as well as I do that it's only the digging teams that risk their safety to clear up the sand that are keeping the area sand free." Timothy grumbled and looked away, but did not say anything to deny this.

"Right!" said Sallen, clapping his hands together "I've got some stuff that I think might help you to deal with this little sand problem of yours. But you've got to come with me to get it."

"And why is that?" asked Daniel, pride still wounded from before.

Sallen glared at him. "I may have magic but I still only have two arms. I can't carry it all."

*Really?* asked Mist dryly *Is that what you're going with?*

*Shush.* said Sallen. An explosion sounded from beyond the city walls, making me jump back, eyes searching instinctively for the source of the sound.

"Shit." swore Sallen, pulling and interactive tablet out and frantically tapping on it.

"What's going on here." asked Timothy, raising a hand towards Sallen uneasily.

"It's nothing, noting. Don't worry, I've got this all under control, just give me a sec." his voice trailed off as something out of view on the edge of his tablet caught his eye. "Uh oh." he murmured, reading whatever had been displayed there.

"What's uh oh, I don't like that uh on. You never say uh oh unless there is something really bad." said Mirexal, trying to peek over his brother's shoulder.

"Uh, no it's nothing." said Sallen, paling as he hurriedly tucked away the tablet.

"What are you hiding demon?" asked Daniel, stepping forwards to join Timothy in threatening the blue winged lord.

"Oh, it's noting. No big deal. Just a little bug in my software back home. Very technical, you wouldn't get it."

"Is it like redstone?" asked Daniel "Cause I got pretty good marks on my redstone courses, so I bet I could handle it."

"Uh, no it's not like redstone, not really." said Sallen distractedly, rummaging through his things. As he did, a dark presence swirled around us, a stronger manifestation of that the sand carried with it.

**Ah, how cute.** it said, the dark power it possessed leeching into the visible plane and leaving trails of dark colored haze in trailing strands around us.

"Well, at least I know what caused this then." sighed Sallen, pulling his goggles up from around his neck to cover his eyes. "Back to the desert then."

"But what about the creepy mist?" asked Flare.

**Oh, poor little Flare. **it said **Have you lost your nerve? You know, there is a way out of this. Just say that you will come and join me.** The haze focused as it spoke, tracing a wavy line to the top of the wall, where a figure could be seen. A figure with pale white skin and reddish gray eyes. Flare's eyes widened as he saw his friend and it occurred to me that he hadn't seen Izra since his transformation.

"What happened to you?" he whispered "It hasn't been that long has it? But everything's changed."

"Ah, but it's changed for the better." said Israphel, his aura lessening as his spell ended. "I understand things so much better not"

"Well you say that." said Rayko, glaring up at the other lord "But if it were really true you wouldn't have thrown your lot in with the representation of chaos evil, now would you?"

"Who, Zeren?" asked Israphel.

"No, not Zeren you twat." said Sallen, rolling his eyes "Void. Why you would ever think it was Zeren is beyond me. No, Zeren just wanted something a bit too badly and Void used it to catch him in his sway."

"You think you know of void?" asked Israphel, his aura growing stronger once more. **You think you know his motives? Well, you are wrong. He had plans you could only dream of, and of his chosen he shares them only with me.**

"I know not what Void tempts you with." said Mirexal softly "But I know the pain of watching a friend fall to his sway. For I know that Void is fickle, and he will betray without reason. See now how this effects the one who once trusted you with his life, a trust that now lies splintered in Chaos coated shards."

**You cannot sway ****me with your words. Void has shown me the truth, and that cannot be changed. I am one with his power, he feeds it to me even now and should he rise or fall, I shall follow his fate.**

"Are you alright?" I asked Flare hesitantly, seeing the tears sliding down his cheeks as he gazed at his former friend.

"No" he sniffed, reaching a hand up to brush away a tear that was quickly replaced by several more. Quickly glancing over and seeing that Rayko and Sallen still had Israphel occupied and the Crafters were still staring at the sand lord in a state of shock, I wrapped an arm around Flare's shoulder, drawing him close and currling my wings around the both of us.

"We'll get through this." I whispered, resting my head against his neck "We'll get him back if we can. Things will work out."

"I hope so." he murmured, gaze drawn towards his old friend. "I really hope so."

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**A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed. As always, questions for the characters can be PM'ed to me or left in a review, and I really appreciate any feedback that you send. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	41. Notchie vs Israphel

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I hope you guys enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Sallen's POV**

_Hey Starlord, can I ask a favor of you?_ I sent, keeping my attention on Israphel in case he decided to try to make a move.

*Maybe.* he sent *But using my name would make it a whole lot more likely.*

_Alright... Notchie. _I sent, the younger lord's name finally coming to me. _Can you distract the Crafters and Israphel? I really need to make sure that a certain... __project is not in danger of destroying itself and half the area around here._

*I'll try.* he replied *I can distract Israphel no problem, but the Crafters might not pay attention. Also, if this Void everyone is talking about tells Israphel, he might prioritize you over me.*

_That's fine, just do what you can. _I sent, breaking the link and surreptitiously stepping away from the Crafters. _Come on, come on, don't notice me. _I thought, sliding slowly sideways towards the gate. _Only a little further._

"Hey Israphel, how've things been going for you since you joined those Chaos dudes you jerk?" shouted Notchie, flashing bright colors across his wings "I hope you remember what you did them, 'cause we sure haven't forgotten."

**You dare to speak to me like that you insolent child?** asked Israphel, Void's power still flowing through him. **I shall pull this realm under my sway and its pitiful realmlord with it, and then your home realm shall fall as well.**

"Tch, yeah sure, you talk a big game, so what? I have seen no proof that you've done anything except move sand from the desert to here. I've seen more impressive dust storms."

**You back down now you damn glowy child. **hissed Israphel, the dark aura around him deepening.

_Good light._ I thought _Keep him angry and he should stay focused on you._ At last, I reached the gate and slipped out of the city, taking one last quick look over my shoulder to check if I had been followed. _Be safe Mirexal._ I thought, not daring to actually send it for fear it might be detected. _I'll only be gone for a bit, and it's to ensure everyone's __safety.__ You know I hold your __safety__ and health as my highest priority._ Turning back towards the advancing desert I squinted, this action and the tint of my goggles cutting through most of the glare of the desert. A metallic gleam signaled from behind the crest of a dune, a signal of where my project was hidden away. Or rather projects, since there were several of them. Yanking my tablet from where I had hastily stashed it, I typed in an access code. The shape of several large, bipedal figures worked their way up out of the sand. Soon the large dunes that covered them had fallen away, revealing the huge metal beings that I had created. The sentinels were one of my better creations, mobile battle stations with built in systems that could easily adapt to changes in terrain and situation that I had been working on for ages beneath the deserts of this realm to avoid detection. The only problem was that Crafters had seen them before I was done, while they were still in... development stages. Needless to say, there had most certainly been rumors that Israphel and his sand were not the real danger at all. Rather he was the hero, using his powers to destroy the dark mechanical structures that roamed the deserts.

Typing in several more pass-codes I flicked open my wings and jumped upwards, easily catching hold of a handhold on one of the fortress's legs and perching there, wings splayed out against the side of the structure as I input the access code. With a hiss of air the door slid open, sending a blessed rush of cool air washing over me. This sand filled realm was a great deal warmer than the Void had ever been, and getting around was hard enough without having to deal with heatstroke and sunburn.

"Now, lets make sure that Israphel's sudden appearance didn't cause any problems." I murmured, walking over to one of the consoles and quickly signing in, fingers flying across the keyboard and eyes darting back and forth as I scanned the numerous lines of system details that presented themselves.

"No system damage, that's good. It looks like the guards I put in place are holding then." Chaos magic, especially of the strength Void was lending to Israphel, was notoriously dangerous for damaging wiring and piping of any kind, seeing them as it saw the circulatory and nervous systems of other creatures and attacking them as it would in any other being.

"What's this?" I murmured, a flash on one of the surveillance monitors in my vision's periphery catching my attention. With a few taps I brought it up on the large screen before me. A flash of gold light was visible shining over the walls of the Crafter city, then suddenly there wasn't much of a wall left from where I stood, only rubble surrounded by swirling masses of light and Chaos energy. Many figures could be seen running past the gap in the wall, dodging attacks and running from falling debris. A few shapes could be seen pouring buckets of water on fires that had sprung up from so much light energy in a hot environment.

*Sallen, we need your help.* sent Mirexal, trying to sound calm but the sending leaked fear. Powering up the sentinel since now seemed as good a time as any to see how it fared against Israphel, I sent Mirexal a reassuring thought. As I did, I realized the true level of power that was being used over there. It was little wonder that the wall had been obliterated almost instantly, considering that the power I could sense from the two of them was probably enough to level a decent sized continent.

_Hang in there Mir._ I sent, maneuvering the station towards the gap in the wall. _I will handle this._ A feeling of pure relief came from Mirexal, wrapping around me for a moment before he cut it off, embarrassed by his own reaction.

"Watch yourself Israphel." I hissed, melding my senses with those of the station. "There's more than one lord to be reckoned with here."

**Ender's POV**

Notchie floated not far in front of us, a raging gold aura sending out tendrils to lick at his surroundings, razing them to the ground. The young Starlord was livid, his own provocative words to Israphel having led to retaliation in kind that he could not stand for. I winced as he threw another bolt of blazing plasma at Israphel, the splashback ramming into my now wavering shield and almost driving me to the ground.

"You alright?" asked Flare, sparing me a glance from where he had been diverting a rapidly approaching firestorm, blaze wands still raised and tail twitching nervously in anticipation of another wave.

"Yeah, fine." I gasped, wings pressed against the ground as extra leverage against my exhaustion. If something didn't change quickly, Notchie and Israphel were going to end up destroying a good portion of the Overworld.

"Is everything always this intense for you?" puffed Cameron, wand raised to block several of Israphel's arrows that had lanced passed Notchie.

"Usually." I shouted, my antennae tracing an intricate spell design in midair as I cast another shield spell over a group of vulnerable Crafters. A few rows of houses over, Skylord Daniel was skimming low over the buildings in his plane, dousing the buildings in water in an effort to stop the raging fires from growing any bigger.

"Great Notch, what's that thing?" cried Cameron, pointing out towards the desert. To my surprise, where I had assumed there was nothing but sand dunes, there stood a huge metal figure, at least a head taller than the wall had been before it was destroyed.

"Whatever it is," shouted Flare, jumping backwards to avoid some falling remnants of the wall that had managed to hold together until then. "I sure hope it's on our side. Otherwise, we're iced. We're having enough trouble just avoiding Notchie's collateral damage."

"Yeah, that one's ours." said Mirexal, appearing suddenly from a magenta portal that had appeared on the side of a burning house an instant before it collapsed. "Whoa, that was close." He murmured, looking it over uneasily before snapping back to his usual cheery self. "Anyway, big brother said that he was coming in one of his sentinels, so that will be him then."

Hoping his words were not just optimism speaking, I reached out towards the mechanical creature. A strong presence surrounded it, carrying with it an animalistic glee, the kind a hunter feels when they are about to catch a particularly unwary bit of prey. "Yeah, that's Sallen all right." I sighed, trying to tune out Mist's incessant snickering.

As I drew in my senses, I caught a trace of a strange double presence, much like that surrounding Israphel from Void's influence.

**Ah, so Void wants to meddle in lordkind affairs does he. **it said, amusement apparent in its tone. **Well, then it's only fair if we cut in as well. ****Sallen, show them how proper representatives of Chaos do things.**

*With pleasure.* sent Sallen.

**Ah, Will, so you think that your chosen can more than match one of my people.** said a dark presence I presumed to be Void. **Well, Israphel, stop playing nice with that Starlord and show Will that his nice guy approach betrays the true ****way of the Chaos kind. I'll even help you out a bit.** An enormous surge of dark power flowed around Israphel, engulfing him and a good portion of the area around of him. A cackling came from the sand lord, and when it cleared, Israphel stood there with a darkness wrapped arrow aimed at Notchie.

**Your move Starlord. **he laughed **And you better make it good, because it's probably going to be your last.**

"What, you're going to take me down with one arrow?" scoffed Notchie, bravado fueled by the amount of power he was drawing, choking out the rational thoughts that if Israphel was going to taunt him, he probably had something more than a basic arrow. "If that's all you going to do then take your best shot."

*Notchie for crying out loud get down.* Shrieked Mist as Israphel loosed his arrow and Notchie responded by reflex, dipping down well bellow the arrow's arc, his aura carving long gashes into the ground below.

"You missed." shot Notchie cheekily, grinning back at the Chaos lord "Guess Void was wrong about you after all."

"Oh, I missed did I?" asked Israphel, slinging his bow over his shoulder "It doesn't look that was from where I stand."

**Careful Starlord.** said Will **Void's people are tricky.**

"Where did that shot go anyway?" asked Flare nervously, eyes scanning the vicinity of where the arrow should have ended up.

"Oh, nowhere yet." It took me a second too long to process his meaning. As my shouted warning to Notchie left my lips, the arrow reappeared, imbedding itself into the Starlord's back right between his wings. Immediately, the younger lord turned ashen, falling to the ground as his wings could no longer support him and dark ropes of Chaos poison rapidly covering his body.

"Notchie!" I cried, releasing my shield spell and racing towards my fallen friend.

**Say good by for good to your little glowy friend.** Cackled Void **You posses no power that can heal that level of Chaos ****poisoning**** before it kills or turns him. Face it, either way your friend is gone.**

Trying to ignore Void's taunts and hoping desperately that they were untrue, I knelt beside the Starlord, feeling how weak his pulse had become after only a minute of damage.

"Please don't die." I whispered, feeling the tears pour down my face but not caring what anyone else saw.

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**A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed. As always, I love your guys reviews and would like to have any questions for the characters that you may have. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	42. Help for Stars?

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I hope you guys enjoy. On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Ender's POV**

*Ender, this is no time to cry.* said Mist adamantly *The time to cry is when everything has been decided. You might still be able to help Notchie.*

_You're right._ I sniffed raising a hand to brush away the trickling tears. _He needs help. The least I can do is try._ Turning the Starlord back to his original position so that he was flat on his face with limbs splayed out to either side, I gently pressed on the sight of the arrow penetration, trying to judge how deep the projectile had gone. Fortunately, it seemed like Israphel's spell, while unexpected, had used up much of the arrow's energy in its rerouting. The barb of the arrow also looked like it had been designed to deliver the Chaos poison that it carried rather than slay by piercing, probably counting on the chance of its victim being swayed to the Chaos alliance rather than killed outright. This left Notchie with an arrow buried an inch and a half into his body, one that had mercifully hit between his wing and his spine rather than directly piercing either, something that would have been much more devastating.

With a careful motion I pulled out the arrow, wincing as it caught on Notchie's pale skin. Even with these minor catches, it still slid out much more easily than any normal arrow, a testament to its ulterior purpose. With the arrow gone though, I could clearly see the wound, and though it was small, it was not pretty. Gray tinted blood spilled from it, staining the once bright garments the lord wore a sickly gray hue, a color matched by the rapidly thickening traces of gray poison that crisscrossed his shivering form.

*Uh, Ender you might want to watch out.* sent Mist uneasily *Israphel's looking over here and he doesn't look too pleased that you're messing with his handiwork.*

_Yeah, probably a good point._ I agreed, quickly casting a shield spell over myself and Notchie's limp form. A quick succession of rapid hits on the shield told me that Mist's warning couldn't have been timed better. To be honest, it wasn't really much of a surprise that Israphel had singled out Notchie as the victim of his strikes. Sure, he had been the one to continuously taunt Israphel, but even beyond that he was a lord who was very powerful when he had strong emotions, and who had once nearly killed Israphel. Yeah, there was defiantly at least some level of revenge going on here.

*Uh, Ender, you might want to hurry up.* sent Mist nervously *Your shield may stop his arrows for now, but with Void on his side, if he wants through then he is going to get through.*

_Yeah, I know._ I sent in slight irritation _Tell me something I don't know already._ With growing dismay I looked over Notchie. It was pretty clear that this was not something I was able to deal with. I doubted that even Notch and Jeb had the power to get rid of this kind of Chaos power. _Mirexal, any ideas as to how to help him?_ I asked worriedly, hoping that the Chaos lord's experience would have led him to some cure for Chaos' power.

*No, sorry Ender. I can deal with basic Chaos poison, but that's some special stuff directly mixed with Void's power. You could bring down a realm with just a couple bottles of that stuff.*

_Alright. _I sighed, wincing as more of Israphel's arrows shot into my shield, draining my magic. _I will see what I can do, but otherwise we might loose him._

A strong presence rippled around me as I spoke and I looked up slightly, wondering if Israphel had not come alone after all. A ripple surged through my shield, and unexpectedly, terrifyingly, a soft touch planted itself on my shoulder, sending a wave of shivers down my spine. Cautiously I turned, tail held at what I thought was a reasonable level to sweep the legs out from under whoever, or whatever for that matter, was behind me if they proved to be hostile. Behind me, staring at me with an expression that looked as if he had just realized what a dangerous position he was in, stood a man with feathery black hair and light skin. Electric green robes covered most of his slim form, a cloak bearing the crisp pattern of feathers on its surface.

"Sorry about that." he said hesitantly, reaching up and running a hand through his dark locks. "I'm not really used to this whole actually being visible thing yet. Usually people get freaked out by my presence, not my appearance, and there's not much that they can do about that."

"And you are who?" I asked slowly, keeping one eye directed at him but taking the opportunity to check where Israphel was. He still seemed to be at the top of the section of wall he had perched on before, but the dark presence had surrounded him more completely, forewarning some stronger strike that would probably be able to reach me even through the fairly reliable energy shield.

"Oh, right I forgot you've never seen this form before. That was Shadow and some of his allies. You can call me Will."

"You're Will?" I asked skeptically "I thought Will was like a supreme power, not some guy in electric green sleep gear."

"Hey, that's not very nice." he pouted, a light flush spreading across his cheeks 'Even us supreme lords as you call us have feelings. Its not very nice to treat someone on your side like that, especially when they were going to help you out."

"Wait." I gasped, hardly able to believe what I was hearing. "Are you saying that you have a way to help Notchie here?"

"One sec." he said, glancing over to where Israphel stood. *Sal* he sent, the power making me wince from being so close to him when he was using his powers.*Take out that Chaos lord up there would you. Void's continual building of power through him is getting really irritating.*

*Right-o friend.* he sent, a pleased sensation surging through the area. *He's going down.* Sallen's huge mech advanced towards Israphel, moving surprisingly easily for such a large construct. No doubt tipped off by Void as to what was happening, Israphel looked over, pulling out an arrow tipped by a small sphere rather than a point, aiming it at the vehicle.

"Sallen will keep him off us." said Will lightly, turning his attention back to where Notchie lay "I'm not guaranteeing that he will actually take him out, but hey, he should keep that guy distracted until we can get this poor lord here back on his feet."

"So, you weren't kidding when you said you could cure him" I said hopefully. Will hesitated, biting his lip as he considered what to say.

"No, I didn't mean it like that. I can't cure him of this. Void is my opposite, and while I am powerful, I can't directly counteract his magic."

"Oh." I said, eyes downcast and my emotions abruptly falling from their elevated level, brought on by the hope that he could do something to help my injured friend. But now it seemed that this hope had been in vain.

"No, not that's not what I meant." said Will, pressing his palm against my forehead "Agh, why am I so bad at explaining this? What I meant is that while I can't personally cure him of the Chaos poison, I can get someone here who I am almost positive should be able to help him."

"Really?" I gasped, hardly daring to believe it.

"Ender, I would not tell you something like that just to suddenly dash your hopes. Unlike Void, I am not cruel. I would never do something like that intentionally. Of course I can, just give me a second." Will closed his eyes, his already strong aura of magic sending trailing tendrils outwards to swirl about, so concentrated in some places that it seeped through into the physical plane, electric green clouds of power surrounding the area.

"What the hell is going on?" one Crafter asked, Timothy I think.

"Ask later, run now!" yelled Flare, shoving him out of the way of some falling debris from a burning house.

_Flare, get them out of here._ I sent, looking over _Things are only going to get more dangerous since Sallen and Israphel are fighting it out._

*Got it Ender.* he acknowledged, grabbing one Crafter by the shoulder and running them towards where several others were standing.

_Hey, Miritayen._ Will sent, a powerful sending that had me crouched on the ground with hands clamped over my ears in attempt to lessen the force. _I know I said I would never do this, but, uh I kinda need a tiny, eansy-weansy_ _little favor. And I need it right away. So if you could come, that would be great! Okay, thanks, bye! _He ended the sending so abruptly that I wasn't prepared for the sudden loss of the massive amount of power, creating a huge surge of the other powers flowing inwards to take its place, including a dangerously large surge of Void's power from Israphel.

"Well, at least it provided a distraction for Israphel if nothing else." said Will lightly, glancing over to where Sallen was fighting. "now we just have to wait and see if Miritayen shows up. There is no guarantee that he will dane to grace us with his presence.

**That is not very nice Will.** a strong presence sent, which although it was almost as strong as Will and Void's had been, was much calmer, a place of serenity in the face of huge rifts of swirling Chaos.

"Show yourself Miritayen." shouted Will, turning every which way to search for the other lord.

"It's not very nice to shout at someone who you are trying to get to help you out." Miritayen said, the lord appearing from behind a heap of rubble. Huge wings loomed over his wiry frame, white hair laced with bands of black held tightly back along his back.

"Oh, Miritayen, I wasn't actually sure you were going to show up." he said nervously, uneasy in the presence of the other lord.

Miritayen regarded him coolly "So why have you called me here?" he asked, looking interested. "I take it that there must be a good reason. Last time we met you swore you would never do so."

"Yeah, well something came up." he murmured, gesturing to Notchie "Take a look."

Miritayen knelt beside the unconscious lord "What caused this?" he asked, turning to face the other lord.

"Israphel hit him with a special mixture of Void's magic, and well we were hoping that you could help us get rid of it. I would, but I can't mess with Void's magic with any kind of success."

Miritayen looked over Notchie for a moment longer before saying "Alright I will do it for you."

"What is it going to cost me?" sighed Will, sensing the but that Miritayen was about to propose.

Miritayen looked thoughtful for a moment before saying "I can't ask anything of you for this. It would be a lie if I said that I would not get anything out of this. It is my duty to protect the welfare and health of my chosen, and the loss of this lord would so a great deal of harm to his mental state. So I shall do as you ask, but for his benefit, not your'se. I am not taking the side of Chaos, not now, not ever."

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed. Please consider leaving a review or questions for the characters. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	43. Healing and Combat

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I would like to thank Foxey(Guest) for reviewing this week. You guys should also check out my holiday story collection, _Twelve Days of Craft__s__mas._ I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel.**

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**Shatter's POV**

"Stevie, I'm back." I called, carefully closing the camouflaged door behind me in case any creature decided to poke around in the remote cave where it was hidden. In theory no one would, but in practice it rarely hurt to be too careful. No response came from the other lord, which was strange. Usually Steve was overjoyed to see me, delighted to see anything different at all in fact. So few things reached him besides pain these days that they were like ice in the desert to him, providing relief and comfort for a fleeting moment until they slipped away.

"Are you alright?" I asked, poking my head around the corner. There was always the chance that he was asleep, but he could sleep any time and he had known when I said I would return. A feather like sigh reached me from the next room, the faintest touch of Steve's magic brushing mine. I let out a breath I had not even been aware I was holding in, relieved. I had feared that he had left, deserting the safety of the dwelling in order to find some comfort.

"Hi, I brought you some more supplies." I said, stepping into his room. The other lord sat on his cot, blankets draped over his shoulders as he stared blankly at one of the walls, a painting of the dimensions covering much of the surface.

"I'm not hungry." he murmured, not looking away. He never was. The other supplies I had brought remained largely untouched, save for a few water bottles, presumably downed in one of his more coherent moments. They occurred every so often, his body making some attempt to keep him going when his magic believed there was no reason to.

"Steve, you need to eat something." I insisted, stepping closer to him "You haven't eaten anything since I was here last."

"Maybe I shouldn't eat anything ever again." he murmured, eyes flicking downwards "No one cares about me anyway."

"Steve, that's not true." I said, eyes widening "There are plenty of people who would care about you."

"But I can't tell." he murmured, turning towards me with sad eyes "My powers are ever weakening and I dare not reach out to the others for fear that I should have my magic shattered or impart the chaos within me to them by mistake."

"But they still love you." I murmured, placing gentle hands on his shoulders. "They hope that you can soon come back to them."

"It is nice of them to say that." he sighed "But I know that it is not true. They don't need me. I just get in trouble."

"Steve." I said, trying to think of something that would convince him otherwise.

"No, don't say anything." he said, holding up a hand "I already know what you want me to think, and you will not convince me of it."

"Alright." I murmured, turning away. It pained me to see Steve like this, for it was my duty to protect him. Yet there was no way that I could protect him from himself, from the chaos and gloom imparted into him by his own realm. "I will try to come and see you sooner than the next delivery." I sighed "It is not good for you to be alone here."

"It doesn't matter." he sighed "It will just leave me alone eventually anyway."

"Bye." I said, reluctantly, leaving the sad lord in the depth of the safe cave once more.

**Ender's POV**

"Who is your chosen that they care so much about Notchie?" I asked, watching as Miritayen examined Notchie's wound, placing a gentle hand along one of the thicker traces of chaos that flowed from it.

"Teloxen." he said, eyes closed as he followed the lines of chaos with his finger, the gray hue seeming to lessen as he did so.

"Ah, well I guess that kinda makes sense" Teloxen still regretted what he had done to the Star-lords, so it was not exactly surprising that he felt a certain sense of obligation to one of the only members who remained.

Miritayen's hand paused and he murmured some strange words, a language I could not quite follow. A shudder ran through Notchie, the gray shadows slithering back towards the wound and then out, concentrating in a thick haze. With another word it condensed into a fine powered that he swept up, funneling it carefully into a cloth bag.

"He should be okay now." Miritayen said, pulling out a small roll of bandages and wrapping the wound. "Just make sure not to move him too much. And he should avoid flying until it heals."

"Thank you." I murmured, turning to look at Miritayen with a new respect. "You saved him."

Miritayen shrugged "I was asked and did what I said I would. There is nothing particularly special about what I did. It's nothing you wouldn't have done if you had the power."

"But still." I said "Thank you. I mean really." A surge of Void's anger surged around us, no doubt a response to what Miritayen had done. After all, it had to be irritating for every time things started to go your way, a new person sprang out of no where and set you back.

**I see you have thrown yourself in with the positive side.** seethed Void, making Will shiver. Miritayen though appeared unphased.

"You would do well to refrain from doing this one harm in the future. After all, he is under mine and Star's protection. And while I may not throw my lot in with either side as you say I do, I am more than willing to build bridges with those who oppose the ones who harm my protected.

**Star is alive?** asked Void, real shock entering his powerful sending **But I was there! Destiny destroyed her when she would not cooperate with their ****alliance.**

"Well, things are not always as they appear." said Miritayen simply "You of all of us should know that. But she is most certainly alive. Weak and in hiding yes, but alive. Void's presence seemed to be frozen as he contemplated the implications of this new information. "I hope I will not regret telling him that." Miritayen murmured, gaze sweeping across the landscape.

**Sallen's POV**

Fighting Israphel was one of the strangest things I had ever done. In theory it should be quite easy for a battle station to take out a single person, even taking into account the limited movement that the station had. But Void's power amplified the abilities that Israphel naturally had, making him much harder to hit and improving the magic shielding that surrounded him, severely reducing the damage that I could do. We were pretty well matched as it was, each hit of mine on his magical shell sending dangerous electrical surges through the frame of my battle station that did nothing to help things, causing dangerous arcing between wires.

"Give this up." he hissed, swinging his bow around to fire a concussive arrow at the view screen, intent on getting me to leave the station.

"No, I don't think that's going to happen." I murmured to myself, knowing that he was not able to hear me. I glanced at the side screen that was trained on where Will had been. I had been keeping tabs on him since he told me to fight the Chaos lord, knowing that he was doing something that required Israphel to be distracted so that they could work. But now, looking out, Will had left that position, Ender the last one visible as she left the edge of the screen. "Well, it looks as if it is time to end this." I sighed "Pity, just when things were starting to get interesting too. But I could use a break anyway." Pulling a cover off of a button in the center of one of the control panels, I pressed it down, feeling the station shudder towards Israphel as its defensive spells unraveled and the energy was rerouted into the destructive circles built into its lining. Hurriedly now, for although there was a delay on the spells it was not a long one, I activated the teleport ring surrounding where I stood. I waited as long as I could in order to ensure that the blast would hit him before I teleported out of range.

The blast ripped through the wall, sending clouds of sand up into the air and a shock wave shooting towards the Crafter city. Drawing heavily on Will's power reserves, I erected a barrier in front of the city, directing the blast upwards and outwards. When the sand had finally settled, I felt Void's seething presence building, seeking me out. He could not directly find me because of my link with Will, and so he had to look manually, senses spread outwards to look for traces of my influence.

**Come out you little lord.** he hissed **I have something for you. **Wisely I stayed silent. I wanted no part of anything that Void wanted to give me, especially when I had just presumably taken out his lord.

_Get him now._ I silently urged the others, peering out from the alleyway where I had teleported myself. _I've done the most difficult part, now you've just got to get him the rest of the way down to do a seal._

**Israphel's POV**

The blast came out of no where. One moment I was fighting Sallen's battle station, struggling to do any damage to the hard metal exterior even with the augmented power from Void that was available to me. There must have been some sort of magical shielding over it to keep it so intact and undamaged, for I knew the level of destruction that my powers should have been able to dish out if unobstructed by the magic of others. And then the thing had blown up, totally unexpectedly, sending clouds of shrapnel flying every which way and blasting a huge shock wave across the landscape. My shields should have made quick work of this, dispelling the damage and removing the chance of harm, but I had forgotten who I was dealing with. Sallen had prepared for an occasion like this, and the explosion was no accident, contrary to what I had initially believed, thinking that the damage I had done overheated the systems or did something else like that to cause the explosion.

Now though, laying in the sand and feeling the blood seep from my damaged body, I knew that he had planned this. To buy enough time for whatever his lord had been doing, then, when the act had been done, to deal as much damage as possible to me, his foe in this grand game.

A trail of dark energy wrapped around me, tainting the normal sand that had managed to remain pure despite my influence and easing the pain flowing from my wounds.

_My lord... I... I am sorry._ I stammered, a wave of dizziness arising to muddle my senses all the more.

**Hush my chosen.** Void sent **I am not angry with you. You could not have foreseen Will's arrival or that he would dare to call upon Miritayen to heal the Starlord. But we have learned much despite the loss of him as a target, including that we may yet have another ally. Should I be able to find her, and providing that she is well of course, but that can wait until later. For now, flee this place, else they may find you. We may have lost this battle, but the war may still be won yet.**

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed. Please consider leaving a review, they really do motivate me to keep doing this. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	44. Calm Before the Fight

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I would like to thank BewilderForce for reviewing this week. On with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Ender's POV**

"Come on guys, we've got to go after him!" shouted Mirexal, gesturing for us to come over.

"How can you think about going after him right now?" I asked incredulously "He might have killed your brother and you're not even going to take a minute to look and see if he's alright?"

Mirexal looked surprised. "Sallen's fine. I would know if something happened to him. Believe me."

"But his machine station thing, it just exploded." Mirexal waved his hand dismissively.

"It was supposed to do that. Sallen always has backup plans and backup plans for his backup plans."

"Alright." I sighed. If Mirexal was so sure that his brother was okay, I guess that there wasn't much I could do to change that. "But we can't just go charging off into the desert. Notchie is hurt, and I kind of doubt that the Crafters will let us go without some sort of an explanation." Right on cue, a flustered Timothy emerged from behind some debris, eyes widening as he surveyed the damage.

"What have you done to our city?" he shouted indignantly.

"Yeah, yell at the ones who made the bad guys go away." sighed Cameron, flicking debris aside with a wave of his wand.

"But all this damage, it will take weeks to fix it, weeks! The sand will get in through the breach in the wall too, and with nothing to block it, it will flow right into the city."

"Calm down Timothy." sighed Cameron "My apprentice will help me fix the holes, if that's all you're worried about."

"Fumblemore shouldn't be allowed within a hundred blocks of any large structure." Timothy grumbled "He's more likely to make things worse with his magic than anything else."

"He's still learning, it's to be expected. You can't think that he would just get everything exactly right on the first try."

"I think that these intruders should clean up the mess that they made." sneered Skylord Daniel, leaping from his plane as it rolled to a stop on the clear patch Cameron had made. "After all, we didn't ask to be attacked by their enemies."

"But what about Israphel?" asked Rayko, dumping one of the buckets of water that he carried over a small fire that had sprung up in the remnants of a Crafter dwelling "You know that if you take him out, most of your sand problems will go away, right?" This seemed to surprise the Crafters and they exchanged glances, whispering amongst each other.

"So what do you say?" asked Mirexal, waving away the growing number of Crafters who clustered around the perimeter of the area, interested in seeing what had caused all the commotion. Timothy paused before saying "Well, if taking out this Israphel will get rid of the sand and keep us from loosing so many of our people to hunger, thirst and heat, I suppose that it is in our best interest. We have seen that he is not the leader that he claims to be, one to protect us from danger. We'll even send a few men with you, just to make sure the job gets done."

*Yeah, I'm sure that those guys are most defiantly going to be there just so that they can make sure we get Israphel.* sighed Mist *It's most defiantly not so that they can be sure we don't run off and cause problems for them.*

"You should send Verigan's lot." snickered Daniel, shoving his thick goggles up onto his forehead "They are always claiming to be heroes, so it should be standard territory for them."

"I will ask them." said Timothy, apparently missing the sarcasm in Daniel's tone. "If what they said before was true, they probably are the most likely to trust any of your lot."

"Gee, thanks." I murmured, glancing around for any sign of Will or Miritayen. Flare was carrying Notchie, blaze ring carefully arranged so as to avoid burning the younger lord, but there was not sign of the other two lords.

*If you want, me and Mirexal and maybe Sallen if he shows up can go after Israphel if you want to stay with your friends here.*

"No, it's alright." I said, brushing some debris off of my garments "Flare, take Notchie home, I'm going to deal with this."

"You sure?" he asked hesitantly "If you want, I can come with you."

"No, that's alright." I said_ Believe me Flarey, this will be __much__ easier if you just take Notchie home to the others. I love you and all, but I don't think you could face Israphel in the state he's in right not._

*I guess you are right.* he sighed *Be safe.*

"Rest here overnight." said Timothy "That will give us time to contact the others and get supplies together."

"Alright." I said and the others agreed. "Tonight though, can you take Flare and Notchie back to the portal?"

"Who do you think we are, one of your demon servants?" snapped Daniel

"Would it kill you to try to be polite?" asked Cameron, glaring at the Skylord "They are the ones who got rid of the one wrecking part of the city.  
"Anyway..." said Timothy, looking over at where the two of them were squabbling "I can't spare anyone to take them tonight. It's getting on towards evening and we need the men for guarding the city. Things will be extra dangerous tonight especially, what with this enormous hole in the wall. Even if we had people available though, it wouldn't fell right to put them in danger so your friends could get home a bit sooner."

"But..." I stammered, wanting my friends to be able to get to safety "Couldn't they just go on their own then?" I asked, the idea occurring to me suddenly. We had surely shown that we were more than capable of dealing with the troubles of the night, so why should they stop us from going? But it seemed like even that good idea was doomed to failure.

"No, I am afraid that we simply cannot have your people wandering the area unsupervised." he said "We wouldn't want them to accidentally call up another evil power to mess with our city if you know what I mean."

"I suppose." I sighed, resigning myself to the fact that I would not figure out a way to get the others home tonight without resorting to force, something that I was not prepared to do the right now. Seeming to sense this, the Crafter's gaze softened.

"I'll send someone in the morning." he said "That should be soon enough, right?"

"I guess it will have to be." I sighed, hoping that Miritayen's healing would be good enough to keep Notchie's wound from getting infected until they returned to the Aether. I knew that the other lord had healed the poison, but what I didn't know was what he had done besides that. Even a wound as small as the one from Israphel's arrow could be deadly if Notchie's immune system was not able to deal with contagions after his brush with the poison.

I turned as several Crafter guards approached, eying nervously the weapons that they carried. Before their tools had seemed laughably crude, but now, with wounded and exhausted members of our alliance, they seemed much more menacing, the setting sun sending strange shadows reflecting across their edges.

"They will show you where you may stay tonight." said Timothy, his tone, though conversational, leaving no doubt that what he said was a command rather than a request. "As I am sure you understand, we cannot simply have you and your friends wandering the city. There are those among the people of the town who might seek to harm you, and we would not want any... misunderstandings, to take place that might lead to violence. We only have your best interests at heart of course, seeing that you have volunteered to help rid the area of this sand menace."

"Course you do." I murmured, rolling my eyes as the Crafter turned.

"What was that?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder.

"Hmm?" I asked, trying to act as if I had no idea what he was referring to. "Oh, just talking to myself. I do it sometimes you know, when I've not got much else to do." My words seemed to reassure him and he looked away, stepping aside as the group of Crafter guards flanked our group, presumably to lead us to where we could stay for the night.

*You know, I am going to be very irritated if this whole thing turns out to have been some trick that Israphel played to make us comfortable so he could capture us.*

_Mist, Israphel has far too much pride to let himself be defeated for the sake of a plan. He would have had one of his underlings do it easily, but he himself, no that would never happen. He's almost worse than Herobrine in that regard._

*I sure hope you're right.* she sighed. When we reached where we were supposed to stay, I was less than impressed. Sure, it wasn't as bad as the houses that had been burned during the process of the battle, but it looked as if it hadn't been lived in in years, weeds poking their way up through the floorboards and dust coating every surface. A light drizzle had started, seeping through the multitude of cracks in the roof to drip down onto the floor with a sad plopping noise. The Crafter guards retreated quickly, leaving us in the building. However they did not go far, forming a defensive perimeter a dozen or so blocks from the building.

"This place is awful." murmured Mirexal, leaning back to avoid a stream of tepid water that leaked from the roof. The Chaos summer that the sand had brought led to warm rain that quickly evaporated, leaving the people of the area dangerously low on water supplies.

"Well, it's what there is I guess." I sighed "Flare, try to find somewhere dry for Notchie, but other than that, we'll have to live with it until morning." The others reluctantly agreed, knowing that there were no other options right now. It wasn't like we could force the Crafters to listen to us, no matter how much they wanted us to deal with their problems.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review or questions for the characters. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	45. Desert Bound Travelers

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I would like to thank Guest and Hell Prince Abbadon for reviewing this week. On with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Verigan's POV**

A rapping on the door pulled me out of sleep instantly. I snapped to alertness at the sound, grabbing for where my sword lay beside my bed. Across the room Karpath stirred, rolling over to face me and letting out a his of pain as it put pressure on his injured shoulder. His eyes blinked open slowly, a questioning look on his face.

"Stay down." I hissed, eyes locked on the doorway. Wounded as he was, Karpath was in no state to fight. The door creaked open slowly, the light from the other room creating a widening stripe across the floor. Carefully sliding my blankets off I unsheathed my blade, my gaze never leaving the doorway. The door opened wide enough to reveal the figure that stood just beyond it. I sighed as I took in the figure's stance and wild mane of hair, all that I could really see of him, silhouetted as he was in the doorway. There was only one person in the city who looked like that.

"Daniel, what are you doing here?" I sighed, lowering my guard slightly. The Skylord could be here for any number of reasons, not all of them good. There had always been something about him that I did not quite trust, a willingness to play by just the wrong set of rules.

"Timothy and the rest of the council want to see you." he said, stepping forwards into the room and putting the torch he carried into one of the holders on the wall. Karpath blinked at the sudden light, drawing a blanket over his head in an attempt to block out the bright glare.

"Alright." I sighed, standing and sheathing my blade "Just give me a few minutes and I'll be there."

"Karpath too." said Daniel snidely "The council asked for both of you specifically. And we wouldn't want to dishonor your family by failing to show up now would we." I gritted my teeth as I took in the other man's words. He had been the one to suggest Karpath and I for whatever task the council needed done, I was sure of it. Daniel had always been jealous of the position my family held in the city, saying that the reason for my high position in the guard was only because of my family's reputation, which was not true of course. I had risen through the ranks to the guard on my own merits entirely, resentful of any implication otherwise.

"Alright." I said curtly "You can go now. Karpath and I need to get ready, then we will be right down to present ourselves to the council. I assume that they are waiting in the usual place?"

"Yes." said Daniel, fuming silently at my passive reaction to his decree. Perhaps he had thought that I would resist it, but a summoning from the council was a summoning from the council, regardless of the circumstances. The Skylord turned and stalked away, leaving his torch behind in the holder and slamming the door behind him, sending shudders through the room.

"Come on Karpath." I sighed, quickly changing and pulling on my armor "Let me see your shoulder, then you need to get ready to come with me to see the council." Karpath nodded sleepily, sitting up and pulling his pajama sleeve down off of his shoulder, peeling back the bandage that covered his wound with a hiss of pain. Looking at it, a flash of relief ran though me. The green taint that had begun to spread across his shoulder from the zombie bite had indeed been removed, and the edges of the wound had begun to knit together, a healthy pink tinge surrounding the scab over his wound, a sign that it was healing.

"It looks alright." I sighed, letting out a breath that I had not even been aware I was holding in. "Just get ready to go see the council. I'll be waiting outside." Karpath nodded, sliding out from under his blankets. Turning away, I opened the door and went out into the hallway, leaving him to get ready.

An hour later, we stood before the council.

"So why are we here?" I asked, staring at the council members before me. Few of my encounters with them had ended well, given that they seemed to see the city guards as mere tools that they could use to perform their dirty work.

"Well, I'm sure you could figure it out." said Timothy "But apparently we're a bit short on time, so I'm just going to spell it out for you. The one's who helped you and Karpath deal with those zombies yesterday drew a great evil to our fair city, and now they have dared to ask us for assistance in clearing up the mess they've made and help with finishing off the evil they failed to defeat. Oh, and they also wish for an escort for their wounded friend to take him back to the place you found them, if that means anything to you."

Behind the council, one of the figures I had glimpsed from the guards tower windows stretched, wings flaring upwards as he let out a loud yawn.

"Come on Timothy." he sighed "You're really going to do this? And after I spent like half an hour telling you in very specific detail what happened?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Timothy said, attempting to conceal his true feelings behind an expressionless mask. But years of sizing up enemies in a handful of seconds had taught me much about reading body language, and Timothy was clearly hiding something. That and the strange fact that the story he claimed as truth didn't really seem to match what I had seen yesterday made it easy enough to look between the lines and find the hidden truth within.

"So what you're saying is that you wouldn't let them go after their enemy yesterday since you couldn't get an escort and you aren't too happy that you have to loose some guards for a bit to take their injured friend to safety. Right?" Timothy gaped in surprise as I regarded him coolly.

"How, what?" he stammered before composing himself "Ahem, I assure you that what you say is not the case. My statements from before still hold true."

"Timothy, give it up." said Cameron, shooting the other man a disgusted look. "He saw what happened yesterday you know, your phoney story isn't really going to hold up to that."

"Why didn't you tell me that he already knew then?" snapped Timothy, glaring at the wizard.

Cameron shrugged "You never asked."

"So I presume that you called me here to actually ask me something rather than merely to test your fabrications of yesterday's events. Or did you really get me up just after dawn for the sole reason of wasting my time?" The bite in my tone left no doubt that if that was indeed the case, someone would pay. Unsurprisingly, it was Cameron who spoke, the others still shocked by my quick circumnavigation of their fake story.

"These three here need an escort since the council won't let them go to after the great evil that controls the sand without one, and that very same council thought that you might like to volunteer for the job. They also need one or two guards to escort two of their friends, one injured, to the portal they arrived from. Anything else?" His last few words were directed over his shoulder to where three of the visitors from before sat.

"Doesn't seem like it." the one who had spoken before said, tapping his fingers absentmindedly on the table before him.

"So what do you say Verigan." sneered Daniel, leaning forwards "You up to the job? Or are you too scared?" Trying to conceal my growing irritation for the Skylord I closed my eyes, considering what they had proposed.

"Oh, and one more thing." said Timothy "If you do this, I expect your partner, Karpath was it, to accompany you."

"But he's injured." I pointed out, hoping this fact would keep Karpath out of this. He may have been skilled for his age, but he was still young, barely out of childhood.

"Then that should provide all the more opportunity for him to learn." said Daniel. His smile widening. "After all, he might have no choice but to fight wounded in combat some day and this would prove to be valuable experience then."

"Very well." I sighed, my gaze dropping. I knew when I had been bested by the council, and no amount of reasoning would get them to change their minds. And I could not simply refuse to help the ones who had some to our town. The council would take my refusal as an excuse to deny them the right to face their opponent at all, and the evil they sought to fight would be free again.

"Off with you then." said Timothy, making shooing motions with one hand as he turned his attention to a small stack of documents on the side of the meeting table. Reluctantly I stalked out, motioning for Karpath to follow. As we left the building I turned to him, putting my hand gently on his uninjured shoulder.

"You need to stay by me, alright?" I said, flashing him a smile "Then I can keep you safe."

"Alright." he murmured "I can take care of myself though. I'm not five father."

"Yes, I know Karpath." I sighed "But we simply do not know everything our enemy is capable of doing, so it is best to be cautious." Rounding the corner of the building I saw the three visitors who we were supposed to escort. One was the girl from before, a steely expression on her features as if she was forcing herself to contain more wild emotions. The other two were not familiar to me beyond what I had glimpsed of the fight, one magenta winged man and another with red and gray tinted wings. "Where are the ones who need escorted home?" I asked, calling several other guards over from where they had been setting off to go on patrol.

"In the abandoned house by the guard tower." the girl, Ender, said "There are two of them. A man dressed in red and a younger teen who was injured in combat." Quickly I told my men where to go to find the portal, sending them off before turning back to the three visitors. "Which way did your target go?" I asked, noting the satchels of supplies they carried with them. At least the council had had enough decency to give them that.

"That way, deeper into the desert." the magenta winged one said, pointing past the broken section of the wall and towards the right, where the desert had originally advanced from.

"Well, then that's were we're going to go." I sighed, eyes mere slits as I attempted to see anything through the glare thrown up by the sand "I only hope that we can travel fast enough to make up for lost time. Then again, you can't walk long in the desert without being overcome by it."

"Who said anything about walking?" the red winged man said, eyes gleaming "We've got wings and we're going to have to use them if we want to have any chance at catching Israphel. But introductions first. I'm Rayko, and these are Mirexal and Ender. And you are?"

"Verigan, and this is my son Karpath."

"Pleasure to meet you. Now you can fly with me and Karpath with Mirexal. Sound good?"

"Uh, sure." I said, trying to take in the idea that we were flying rather than walking."

"Excellent." Rayko exclaimed, sweeping me up with his wings so that I was seated on his back, clinging tightly to his shoulders. "Then lets get this journey started."

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**A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed. As always I really appreciate any reviews you guys leave. Now for questions for the characters (and me).**

**From guest to me: ****Where did you get the idea for "Chaos Magic". It is just that that specific thing was used in a book I read. But otherwise good story.**

**Me: I came up with Chaos magic ages ago, right when I first started writing **_**Shadow's Story**_**, as the kind of 'default, everyone assumes only bad guys use it' kind of magic in order to get the plot moving and introduce the antagonist, who at that point was Teloxen, and things just kind of evolved from there, mostly because Zeren made a far better bad guy than Teloxen, and plot twists are fun.**

**If you have any questions for me or the characters, you can leave them in a review or PM them to me. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D****  
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	46. Return of the Missing

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I would like to thank Hell Prince Abbadon for reviewing this week. On with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Shadow's POV**

*You really need to stop worrying.* sent Illusion, wincing slightly as I punched the punching bag before me, a blow that was quickly followed by several others. My impromptu workout was an attempt to distract myself from the concern I felt for Steve. Shatter had gone back to check on Steve a few days after he dropped off supplies, figuring that Steve's condition might improve if he had more contact with someone, only to discover that the other lord was no longer safely hidden in the depths of the cave. He had disappeared from the area, and even Shatter, linked as he was to Steve, could not find him.

"How can I?" I sighed, stepping away from the punching bag. The workout had not calmed me at all, only serving to create more anxiety in me since there was nothing but violence to focus on, the last things I wanted to associate with Steve right now. "He could be anywhere."

*But you know he is alright.* pointed out Illusion *If he was in trouble, you would be able to tell.*

"I hope you're right." I sighed. Turning from the room I stepped out, quickly traveling back to my room. Grabbing my robes from where they lay across my bed, I changed quickly from my lighter training gear into my usual attire. Welcoming the warmth of my heavier robes now that I wasn't working out, I stepped towards the window, gazing directly into the distance. If nothing else, I enjoyed the Aether for its sunsets. The bright, unobstructed view I could see from here was stunning, painting the surrounding island in a rainbow of reflected hues. An agitated mix of presences near the edge of my senses broke me from my thoughts, eyes scanning the edge of the island for any sign of the conflict. Seeing nothing but sensing that something was not quite right, I left the room, anxiously trekking through the hallways until I made my way outside, where hopefully I would find someone who knew what the disturbance was.

"Endlord" a Valkyrie called, landing a few paces from me. "We have found something that you might want to see."

"Where?" I asked, turning to look at the Valkyrie.

"By the edge of the island."

Spreading my wings, I nodded, motioning for the Valkyrie to do the same. The Valkyrie took off and I followed, squinting as our flight rounded the edge of the island and Notch's palace no longer blocked the sunlight. A cluster of Valkyrie marked where we were landing, the winged beings turning towards us as we descended.

"Over here." The Valkyrie stepped through the group, the others stepping back as he moved forwards through the group, the others stepping back as he moved forwards. The parting figures revealed a low shrub of some kind, and curled beneath its branches was a figure.

*Is that..* asked Illusion hesitantly.

Ignoring him, I asked the head Valkyrie "When did you find them?"

"Not even an hour ago." the Valkyrie responded "Well, are they one of yours? They are certainly not one of ours."

"Give me a second." I snapped "Any idea how they got here? Its pretty clear it wasn't by flying on their own."

"We found a winged pig over there with a kind of makeshift harness wrapped around it." one of the Valkyrie replied, gesturing past the bush "We think they came on that."

Kneeling beside the figure, I gently laid a hand on their arm. One touch was all it took to tell me who it was.

"Well?" asked the head Valkyrie "Are they one of yours?"  
_I really hope they mean my lords. _I sent to Illusion _Otherwise they may be making some incorrect assumptions about me._ Tuning out Illusion's laughter, I replied "No, he's not one of mine. But I can take it from here."

"Alright." the Valkyrie said, turning to the rest of his group and conveying the order to move to them. Glancing over to make sure that they were gone, I picked up the figure who lay beneath the bush, holding them close.

"Steve, what happened to you?" I sighed, standing and glancing down at his unconscious form. He was deathly pale, an almost blue color tinting his lips and fingers. There was no telling how long he had lain there before the Valkyrie had found him.

*Get him inside.* urged Illusion *Its not doing him any good to stay here where its still cold.* Murmuring my agreement, I took the younger lord inside. It was a miracle that the Valkyrie hadn't recognized him, but it was for the best. They abhorred weakness and if they knew that the Overworld's lord was not strong enough to properly defend his realm, well some of them might get ideas about taking it from him.

I managed to get him back to my room without any Valkyrie crossing my path, quite an achievement considering that they patrolled the hallways regularly. Pulling the covers on my bed back with my tail, I placed Steve gently down on the bed before covering him up, hoping to warm him up a bit.

"His presence is so weak." I sighed "I can barely sense him even now, knowing that he's right there."

*He's rune-guarded.* sent Illusion *I can feel it. That's partially why his presence is so weak. Check his arms for a mark.* Turning one arm gently over, I spotted a rune sketched in pale gold. It depicted a thin circle surrounding a stick figure. Above the stick figure's head was the outline of a star, drawn as if it was made of a single unbroken loop of ribbon.

*The mark above the figure's head is the mark of the one who set the rune.* Illusion said *So we know Steve didn't set the rune on himself.*

"I don't recognize that symbol though, do you?" I asked Illusion.

"Star gave it to me." Steve murmured softly, opening his eyes a crack "She came back before I left. Said she had to make sure I was safe if I was going back."

"You're awake." I said, the single statement an attempt to come to terms with the fact that Steve sat before me now, here rather than in some distant hiding hole, just like I had dreamed for weeks, each morning waking and hoping that he would be back. After all, I had pretty much raised Steve, and him just disappearing like he did, well it hurt me.

"Yeah." he sighed softly, looking away. He bit his lip, seeming to think about something, before looking to me and saying "If you want me gone, just say it alright?"

"What? Steve, no, I would never want you gone." I said, sitting beside the younger lord. Steve smiled, a pained, sad smile that tore at my heart, threatening to break it. "You don't need to lie to me." he said "I know how you feel. Like I'm useless, and a waste of energy. You wish I would just go away. So I will." he reached for the covers to throw them off, but the rune on his arm glowed, and his arm froze in place.

"Stop." he hissed down at the uncooperative limb "Let me do this.

_Uh, what is with this? _I asked Illusion.

*The rune protects him.* said Illusion *And it knows he's safer here than if he leaves. So its going to try and keep him put.*

_Will it just keep doing that? _I asked.

*For a while at least. It will probably weaken enough that he can resist it after he warms up for a while, since there will be less of a chance of him freezing to death.*

_Well, I guess that gives me at least some time to talk to him._ "Steve, why are you so determined to think that we want you gone?" I asked.

Steve looked away, eyes downcast. "What do you think?" he spat, but I could tell that the anger in his words was not intended for me. "I'm just a liability. You can all defend your realms, but when the Chaos lords attacked mine, I couldn't do anything. I'm useless." He pulled his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around them and resting his head on his knees.

*Dare I point out the fact that Herobrine really didn't even try to protect his realm when the Chaos kind showed up.* said Illusion *He just evacuated everyone and guarded the portal out until he knew they were safe. And that was before Israphel was on their side. I'm sure they're even stronger now.*

"Come here." I murmured, pulling the other lord onto my lap and hugging him "You're not useless, and we don't mind helping you."

"That's what Star said." he murmured "But I know she was just trying to make me feel better."

"Who is Star?" I asked, puzzled slightly by his response. This was the second time he had mentioned whoever it was, and I still had no idea who he was referring to. Before I had actually thought that it was just a passing reference to something in a fading dream, influenced by what Illusion and I were talking about, but now that didn't seem to be the case.

"She's a... presence... thing..." He said, eyes squeezed tightly closed as he struggled to recall the details "I never really saw her, but she was there. She came when I was sad, when I felt like I had been abandoned. It felt like it had been forever since anyone came to see me, and I could tell that Building Day had passed, and that's usually the one day I can feel your presences no matter where you are, and I couldn't, and well I thought you didn't care about me any more." Tears had begun to slide down his face and I pulled him closer, brushing them away with a tender finger. Herobrine and I had never celebrated Building day, and I knew Notch disliked it almost as much as Steve, but usually we at least acknowledged its passing, and the common thread of this act linked us. With everything that had been going on though, it had slipped our minds, leaving Steve without the one assurance that he had been hoping to find that we remembered him.

"Oh Steve," I sighed "We never forgot you. We were just a bit busy and the fact that it was Building Day got lost in everything." To Illusion I sent _Remind me to ask Teloxen about Star later. He might know who they are._

Steve's gaze calmed a bit at my words, a hint of the wild panic leaving his eyes. "I just wanted someone there so many times." he admitted "The Chaos hurt me as it spread, cutting me apart and trying to shift me as it did the same to my realm." unconsciously one hand traced the remnants of said Chaos on the other arm, a spiderweb of nearly healed wounds that stretched up his arms and out of sight.

A light step outside the door drew my attention "Who's there?" I called, not wanting to get up right now. The door opened, revealing not Shatter as I had suspected it might have been, given how closely he and Steve were rumored to be linked, but Herobrine. I hadn't seen him since the younger lords had left for the Overworld several days ago, which wasn't actually surprising considering that he probably hadn't left Notch's room the entire time.

"You came back." he said, looking at Steve "They took it from you, didn't they."

Not quite sure what they were talking about, I looked between the two of them.

"I think so." Steve murmured, looking away "The Chaos hurt me all the time, trying to break me, but then one day something... snapped... and it didn't hurt me any more. But I've felt... empty... distant... since then."

"What did they take?" I asked, wishing I could have protected Steve from this.

"His realm." said Herobrine "That's what it was like when I lost the Nether to them, although not quite exactly the same since I just left."

"Ah." I murmured. Steve had actually held on for far longer than I had expected if he had only lost his realm recently to Israphel. Something occurred to me as I considered this. "Didn't Shatter say that being near us would hurt your powers?" I asked, looking at him with some concern.

"He was mistaken." said Steve softly "Star said it would make sure my powers didn't break down from the Chaos if I was around others."

"Good." I sighed, relieved. I would never have forgiven myself if my well intentioned help had harmed Steve or his magic. Stepping forward and reaching a hand out to lay on Steve's arm, Herobrine winced, a hiss of pain coming from him as he grasped the sore injury. His wounds from when he was imprisoned had still not closed completely, something about the fact that he had gotten them when he was without his powers keeping them from healing right.

"Don't worry." he said to Steve. "We sent some lords to get reinforcements for our group. Hopefully we will be able to get your realm back from Israphel soon."

"Alright." he sighed, closing his eyes. Almost immediately he drifted off, the warmth of my body lulling him into sleep after being so cold for so long.

"Can you make sure Notch tells the others that he came back?" I asked Herobrine "I know that he already knows."

Herobrine nodded "I can do that."

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**A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed. If so, please consider leaving a review. Now for questions for the characters (and me)!**

**From Hell Prince Abbadon to Me: ****What's your inspiration for all the stories you write. **

**Me: I get inspiration from a lot of sources. This series was originally written as a kind of way to create a single universe that plausibly could hold and connect all the different series I watched on Youtube, namely the half dozen series by the various Yogscast members that I watched at the time. Its grown a lot from then, and will ****(hopefully)**** eventually tie in most of the new Yogscast series as well as the World of Mianite series (because I'm a bit ****obsessed**** with it :D). ****I also get a lot of inspiration from songs I hear and movies I see. Some songs remind me of characters and make me want to write more about them like the ones on my profile, and some have inspired stories like **_**Lady of the Creepers**_** and a couple ones I am either in the process of writing or waiting to put out until all the relevant characters have been introduced. ****So yeah, if you have any more questions, feel free to ask!**

**I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	47. Destiny's Attack

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I hope you guys enjoy! On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Notch's POV**

"Don't leave." Jeb sighed, eyes darting nervously around the room "Every time you go away I think that she's going to come back."

"I can have some of the Valkyrie stay in here if you'd like." I said "That might make you feel a bit better."

Jeb shook his head "It wouldn't stop her. She would slay them like nothing, just for getting in her way. But you stood up to her before."

"Well, I don't know what to tell you then." I sighed, flicking hair out of my eyes. "I have to go see who came through the portal and deal with my brothers, and you're not well enough yet to come with me."

"Alright."' he said unhappily, gaze dropping "Just promise you'll come back soon, okay?"

"I'll do my best." I said, smiling at him ruefully "My brothers aren't always the easiest to deal with though, so it might be a while."

Leaving the room and closing the door softly behind me, I walked towards the portal I had felt a few beings come through earlier. I had a vague impression of who they were, but the sensation didn't quite match what I had expected, and I had decided to just check it out myself rather than relying on the Valkyrie to bring me second hand information.

Rounding the corner to where the portal let out, I spotted a pair of figures sitting on one of the small benches situated around the portal. They would have to remain in that area until I lowered the shield that protected the room, an extra precaution I had put in place just in case any of Israphel's followers found the portal the younger lords had taken to the Overworld. It had taken a lot out of me, keeping the barrier up for so long in even a small area, but I had hoped that it would at least give us some warning if a foe were to show up. Placing a hand on the field I closed my eyes, lowering the field for a moment so I could step through then replacing it behind me. At the sound of my footsteps, one of the two figures turned, his tail and bright red-orange hair making him easily identifiable as Flare.

"Where is Ender?" I asked with some concern "And uh, what happened to Notchie?" The Starlord lay curled on the bench beside Flare, the slight rise and fall of his breathing the only movement I could see. It was unnerving seeing him so still, like when Herobrine was injured and had to stay in bed. There were just some lords you never expected to see sitting still.

"He had a run in with Israphel, but he's healing. He should be fine after he gets some rest, but Ender wanted him home to make sure."

"So where did she go?"

"Israphel was wounded in the little conflict they had, and she and a couple of the Chaos lords we met up with went after him, hoping that they would be able to take him down before Void healed him too much and made him even stronger."

"But you were just supposed to get reinforcements." I sighed "Not try to fight them."

Flare shrugged. "Well, I didn't really want her go, but it's Ender, and if she wants to go charging off to fight a sand lord, there's not very much I can do about it."

"I suppose." I sighed, flinching as I felt a massive power shift quite close by.

"Uh, what was that?" asked Flare, resting the lower third of his tail protectively across Notchie's shoulders.

"Unfortunately I've got and idea." I spat, flinching at the bolt of shock I felt from Jeb through the amulet his lady had forced me to take, as well as the saturating magic force I recognized from my encounter with her. "Can you take Notchie up to his room or something?" I asked Flare distractedly, lowering the magic shield around the room and stepping out of the portal room, trying to get a picture of what was actually going on.

"Yeah, of course." said Flare compliantly, taking in my distracted expression "Go do, uh whatever it is you have to do." Nodding my thanks, I ran back towards where I had left Jeb in his room. I hadn't really lent his fears much credence when I had heard them earlier, but now they seemed much more reasonable, considering that this was the third time I knew of that his lady had simply showed up and proceeded to harm him, each time significantly worse than before.

"Come on, don't make me be too late." I gasped, breath coming quickly now as I neared his room. Sliding to a stop outside his door, I placed a hand against the surface, trying to determine if my fears were valid or if somehow I had been mistaken. I was hoping for the latter, but the magic I could sense on the other side of the doorway was undeniably the same on I had felt the last time it happened. Drawing my sword, a battered diamond blade with halfway decent enchants that I just couldn't seem to give up for something better, I shoved the door open a crack, peering in with the hope of getting a bit of information on what was going on. Jeb sat huddled against the headboard of the bed, legs drawn up to his chest and arms wrapped tightly around them, which did nothing to conceal the look of terror on his face. Opposite him, looming threateningly over the bed, was the lord I had seen twice before, Jeb's so called lady. Her ice colored garments made her instantly recognizable, not that her powerful, rigidly kept magic left any doubt of that in the first place. She didn't seem to notice my approach at first, which wasn't really surprising considering that Jeb's powers and my powers were linked. If you were not expecting it, it was quite possible to mix up linked lords with the same power type.  
Jeb on the other hand, noticed almost immediately, eyes widening and slowly traveling across the room to see where I might be. As his gaze landed on the partially open door where I stood it stopped, looking for any sign of movement. Slowly, painstakingly so, I waved my hand in front of the narrow opening, hoping that it would be enough to catch his attention. It seemed to do the trick, Jeb's gaze softening and giving me an almost imperceptible nod.

"Are you even listening to me?" Jeb's lady asked, I've really got to find something else to call her, breaking off her tirade about something or other to snap at Jeb. Eyes widening again he nodded, gaze jerking back to where she stood.

"Now, I don't think that's true." she said "So tell me, what were you looking at over there?" She gestured towards the doorway where I stood concealed by the mostly closed door. Jeb paled, no doubt trying to come up with something that she would believe.

"I asked you what you were looking at!" she spat when he did not respond, taking a step around the side of the bed and crossing her arms in front of her body, a misty blue aura of power manifesting itself around her.

_That's it, I can't just watch this._ I thought, shoving the door open and striding into the room. The blue robed woman turned, her furious gaze boring into me and a flash of rage filled magic flowing through the necklace she had forced me to take from her before.

*I'm alright, I've got this covered.* I sent to Herobrine as I felt his worried, unsure sending at the sudden, unexpected magical assault on me. Staring back at Jeb's lady, I did my best to keep calm. She seemed to respond to things that didn't go her way almost exactly as Herobrine did, meaning that I actually had a pretty good idea of how to deal with her.

"So why are you here?" she spat, aura flaring again. Jeb winced at the surge of magic, no doubt receiving the pain much more strongly than I was since he had a direct link to this lord who seemed to use him as a way to deal with stress.

"You are hurting my friend." I said calmly, focusing on keeping the red streaks of the furry I really felt towards her from showing themselves on my wings. "I would appreciate it if you did not continue to do so. Every time I hear that you were around I have to patch him up, and well it's been getting more life threatening each time."

"Psh, who are you to tell me what to do?" she sneered "Do you even know who I really am? The power I have to force you to see things my way if I were so to desire?"

"No." I sighed "But I have a feeling you are going to tell me either way."

"I am Destiny, bringer of order, Cosmic lord and a force to be reckoned with." She said, her aura burning higher and threatening to actually harm me if she kept it up for much longer.

"That doesn't mean much to me." I said "I don't really care what strong power you have. I just want you to stop hurting my friend."

"You are wrong to dismiss me." she spat, raising a hand, her blue magic concentrating around it, dangerously strong now. Not sure how to respond I took a hesitant step back. She knew that if she wanted to, she could do great harm to me and she was using that to her advantage, not really taking any of my words seriously because of it. It was like if a winged pig had tried to tell me how to oversee the Aether. I would probably ignore its words no matter how interesting its ideas might be.

She saw my movement as an opening though, swiping diagonally and loosing a bolt of blue plasma at me. Hastily I threw up a shield, wincing as the scattered splash of the impact made its way through to land on my upraised arms. There was no way I could stand against Destiny if this was an accurate demonstration of her power.

_I've got to try though._ I thought, leaping aside as another stream of plasma was thrown at me, watching as it splattered against the opposite wall of the hallway. _For the safety of Jeb and the others she might hurt._ The familiar weight of the diamond blade in my hand focused me again and I managed to block the next bolt with the flat of the blade, sending splashes of the magical plasma flying across the room. A large splattering of the substance hit Jeb across one of his arms, the bluish plasma seeming to leech into his skin and bond with it. This strange sight was followed by a flash of agony from Jeb. Squeezing my eyes tightly closed as I struggled to block it out, equal parts alarmed and relieved when it faded away after a moment, the pain overcoming the younger lord and sending him into unconsciousness. I forced my eyes back open in time to see another bolt of plasma heading straight for me, at a rate I knew I could never avoid. I clenched my teeth as it hit, holding in a scream as the ice blue gel splattered across my right hand side and wing, soaking in and seeming to merge with my body.

"What did you do?" I hissed, hesitantly touching the blue stained skin and resisting the urge to scream. Whatever it was, it sure hurt a lot.

"Oh, don't you know." she said snidely, looking me over "And you made it seem so much like you knew what was going on. What did you think 'Bringer of Order' involved?"

"How is this order?" I gasped, reluctantly conceding to the pain a bit and allowing my body to slip to the floor, if only to gain a bit more support.

"My magic mixes with your form." she said, crossing her arms "And becomes a part of it. It keeps your body functioning, working despite the damage. Without that, you die. That's the order in it."

"Why are you doing this?" I murmured, the severity of the situation somehow lost to me as the room faded slightly, things coming in and out of focus.

"For order of course." she said, eyes lighting up.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please consider leaving a review or questions for the characters. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	48. Searching and Miscalculation

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. The last chapter of the first part should be out in a week or two, when they face Israphel, so you have that to look for. Until then, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft.**

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**Herobrine's POV**

An agonizing burst of pain raced through my body and I stiffened, my senses instinctively reaching out to my brothers when I realized the pain was not my own. The sheer intensity of it made it hard to focus though, and it took me a minute to identify it as Notch's. What creature could have caused such harm to him in his own realm, where his power was at its strongest.

*You alright?* Shadow sent, a sending filled with worry and traces of the same pain I was feeling.

_It's not my pain. _I sent, clenching my teeth and pulling myself up off the floor, not quite sure how I had ended up there in the first place. _It's Notch's_. A thought occurred to me and I sent _Is Steve alright? He shouldn't have to deal with something like whatever this is right now._

*I... am fine.* sent Steve softly, his lack of practice at the skill apparent.

_Where is Shatter by the way?_ I asked, the fact that I could not sense the other lord in the immediate area suddenly occurring to me.

*He had gone to look for Steve last time I heard.* sent Shadow *He should be back soon, seeing that Steve is back and he should be able to sense him with us.*

*We should find out what has happened to Notch.* sent Steve, his words slightly breathless, as if the mere effort of sending them exhausted him. *I, I don't know how much more of this I can take.*

_Alright._ I sent to them _But you stay safe Steve. We don't need something happening to you after all you've been through._

*Alright.* he sighed, and I felt the concealing aura around him strengthen, the protection rune on his arm trying to keep Notch's pain from him.

*Go to Notch, Herobrine.* sent Shadow *I will follow. You are better at finding his location through all of this, and I want to make sure Steve is settled first.*

_Okay. _I sent, irritation at how he seemed to brush off Notch's pain like it was nothing running through me. _He doesn't understand. _I reminded myself _He doesn't feel it like I do. __He can't feel it that way. We are linked more closely than they are._

Pushing open the door to my room, I looked down the hallway, first one way, then the next, trying to figure out where Notch was. Going towards his room, the pain decreased slightly, a sign that I was drawing further away from him. Turning the other way, I frowned, trying to figure out why he would be on the other side of the castle. There wasn't much over there besides the portal to the Overworld, and we would have sensed if anything crazy came through it. No, there wasn't really any reason for him to be over there. Unless... The thought of why he might be in that section of the castle suddenly dawned on me, and I realized why the pain I could feel was so odd. It wasn't just coming from Notch, there was an additional lord's pain flowing through him, the difference almost imperceptible because of the similar magic types. And despite all the things he had done to him, Notch would do almost anything to keep Jeb safe. After all, the younger lord had saved his magic, and probably his life.

Turning around the corner suddenly, now hurrying, I ran straight into the back of Teloxen, sending him crashing to the ground, wings splayed out to either side in a failed attempt to keep him upright. His wide, searching eyes had something strange about them, a rainbow right circling the pupil. The other lord blinked, trying to settle himself, and the rings disappeared, leaving me wondering if I had seen them at all.

"Are you alright?" I asked, reaching out a hand to help him to his feet. Teloxen looked at it, then back to me, eyes searching as if expecting some kind of trick. Finally he took it, standing and brushing the dust off his robes, straightening his feathers with a quick shake of his wings.

"Yeah, I'm fine." he said at last, eyes absentmindedly wandering down the hallway, as if expecting to see something.

"Well, if you're okay, then I've kinda got to go. Urgent things and all that."

"Be careful." he said, the rainbow ring beginning to appear again as he looked down the hallway "There is more going on here than you might think. Dangers that you have not seen before. Beware the woman in blue." With that, he turned and walked away, leaving me there pondering his words. Another flash of pain from Notch snapped me back to my task, a pleading, searching sending reaching me as he unconsciously called out for help.

_Hold on brother._ I thought, racing down the corridor towards where I hoped I would find him _I am coming to help._

**Steve's POV**

A whispered word woke me from the half sleep I had drifted into, making me uneasy. Surely Shadow or one of the others would have kept anyone from disturbing my sleep unless it was important. My worry seemed to melt away as a calm, gold tinged aura enveloped me, carrying with it feelings of safety and unity that I desperately wished I could cling to even after whatever it was had departed.

*Do not be afraid Steve.* the presence said, a soothing sending that served to calm my disordered thoughts.

"Star." I whispered, feeling the protection rune that guarded me strengthen in the presence of its creator. "Why are you here?" I asked, squinting into the dim room to see if I could spot any trace of her. "I thought you said that if I left the safe place, you would not be able to help me any more."

*I watch over you since so few of my own lords remain.* she said *I had not expected to need to reveal this fact so soon, but things have happened that I did not expect, and I need your help.*

"My help? But why would you ever need that? You're a really strong and powerful lord, and I'm just, well, me."

*I must speak truthfully of this, though you may not like what you hear.* said Star softly *Your brother has been harmed by a lord who I know well, one who has tried to end me herself and nearly succeeded on several occasions. She calls herself Destiny, and seeks to bring order to the realms, but often gets frustrated when things stand in her way and takes it out on her followers. I cannot face her alone, and so I would like to ask you to go with me.*

"Would I be able to see you?" I asked, secretly hoping that I would finally be able to see the one who had saved me from so much now, including myself.

*No Steve, I am not yet strong enough to assume a form, not if I might have to do battle soon after. But if you agree, I will be by your side the whole way. This I swear.*

"Alright." I said finally, feeling faintly another burst of pain from Notch, the sensation dulled to almost nothing by my protection rune due to Star's proximity. "If you think it will help Notch."

**Herobrine's POV**

Reaching the hallway where Jeb's room was, I could tel that something was going on. The door hung open, light spilling from the bright room into the much dimmer hallway, illuminating the spray of blue gel that coated the wall opposite. Peeking around the corner of the doorway, trying desperately to keep my eyes from glowing any more than the dim light they were currently giving off since the brightness would give me away, I could barely contain a gasp of horror at what I saw inside the room. Notch lay on the floor only a few feet into the room, wings laying flat against the floor and arms outstretched, an expression of pain written across his unconscious features. It looked as if he had fallen there and not moved since, something that send a flash of dismay running through me. What could cause damage like that without anyone sensing it. Beside him sat Jeb, eyes glazed with pain. He had one arm clutched against his body to keep it from moving and his other hand rested on Notch's shoulder, providing support for the other lord in the only way he could right now. Strangely though, I could see no wounds on either of them, only a strange blue sheen that seemed to be out of place on both of them.

Stepping forwards nervously, I was able to see the rest of the room. This revealed the third figure, the one I had not been able to see or sense before, a fact that made me wary. Had she been the one to do this?

"Beware the woman in blue, hmm." I said to myself, looking at her "I wonder it this is what he meant. Well, I guess I'm just going to have to find out." Stepping forward into the room, I drew on my magic, allowing small tongues of fire to lick across by body. Whoever this was, if she had been the one to do this to Notch and Jeb as I suspected she had been, she was not to be taken lightly.

"So you dare to take me on, little lord of fire." she said, looking me over "I shall enjoy showing you what happen to those who dare to challenge me. It is necessary to make an example out of some so that the others will follow." With that. I felt her lift the concealing spell on her powers, allowing me to sense how strong she was. Suddenly, I knew that I had made a terrible, terrible mistake by coming here alone.

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**A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed. If so, please consider leaving a review. Any questions for me or the characters that you might have can also be left in a review or PMed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D **


	49. Choices and Trekking

**A****/N: Hey, Ender here. I would like to thank Hell Prince Ab****ad****don for reviewing this week. ****On with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft**

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**S****hadow's POV**

"What are you doing Herobrine?" I sighed, feeling his sudden surprise and alarm fill the link between us. What kind of thing could he have found that was able to shake him like that. Uneasily I reached out to him, glancing over my shoulder towards the room where I had left Steve to recover. I knew I should be more concerned with what was happening to Notch, and now it seemed, Herobrine, but the way Steve had tried to run off earlier, how he had acted as if he thought he was not wanted, well it worried me. I didn't want to leave him alone right now. After Shatter or one of the others showed up, I would be able to go and assist them. Anyway, they were old enough to take care of themselves now... right?

*Keep telling yourself that,* said Illusion *Maybe you'll believe it then.*

"I know, I know." I murmured, pacing the length of the room uneasily and glancing towards Steve's room again.

*Just check on him. If he's asleep, he should be fine for a while without you. After all, he does have that protection rune on him.*

"That's what I'm afraid of actually." I confessed "What if the one who gave it to him is not on our side. They could have reasons for wanting to keep him unharmed even if they are against us."

*I don't know what to tell you.* sighed Illusion *This is ultimately up to you after all.*

"I know." I sighed, head drooping "That's what bothers me."

*Well, either way you should probably check on him.* pointed out Illusion *If only to make sure he doesn't have any lasting effects from the cold.* Reluctantly I nodded, abandoning my pacing to walk into the room where Steve lay. My eyes widened and hands flew to cover my mouth as I beheld the room, stifling a cry of dismay. The blankets had been thrown off of my bed, creating a plush trail to a door partially concealed by a banner, though it was jammed partially opened by a blanket.

*Y'know, I completely forgot that was there.* said Illusion *Hmm, well at least we know for next time.*

"Well that sorts out what I'm going to do then." I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

**Mirexal's POV**

"Ugh, are we sure there is no more water?" groaned Rayko, trudging slightly behind everyone else. We had had to give up on flying after several large sand storms had nearly thrown us into the ground, no doubt an attempt by Israphel to slow us down. And it had most certainly worked, reducing our travel to a crawl that I doubted the others could keep up for much longer. They were used to much cooler climates, since the Void, End and even the Overworld were cool compared to the blistering heat of the Chaos desert. I was somewhat used to this kind of heat, one of the realms I had taken refuge in during my exile being comprised exclusively of enormous deserts, constantly shifting.

"No Rayko, there is no more water." spat Ender, looking over her shoulder to glare at the red-winged lord "You know that already, since this is like the fifth time you've asked." Sighing, I looked away from them, knowing that their irritated squabble would continue for some time. Spreading my wings and curling them forwards over my shoulders, I walked over to where the Crafters were, allowing the patch of shade they formed to cover them. The younger lord had collapsed earlier, exhausted from the heat and constant traveling, so the older one had taken it upon himself to carry him, rejecting offered help.

Looking around in surprise at the sudden dimming of the world, Verigan saw me standing behind them. A small smile crossed his lips, however the expression did not reach his eyes.

"What's wrong." I asked softly, my step slowing slightly.

"It's nothing really." he sighed, shifting Karpath slightly to maintain balance in the increasingly rocky terrain. We were approaching an area filled with many cliffs and ravines, the perfect area for Israphel to loose anyone who might be following him or to set up an ambush.

"tell me anyway." I said, blinking dust raised by a light breeze from my eyes. If the wind grew any stronger, we would have to stop and find shelter, otherwise the inevitable sand storm would rip us to shreds against the rocks.

"It's just that if we are this tired and injured now, how are we ever going to take out Israphel if we can even find him. I don't know about you, but right now I could barely lift a blade to defend myself, let alone attack a powerful mage."

"I see your point." I sighed "Not stopping to rest may save us time and let us catch up with Israphel, but it will hurt us in the end. I'll talk to Ender, see what I can get her to agree to." The younger lord may have been reckless at times, but surely her commitment to this would allow her to see that without rest, we were doomed to fail. And if not, well I could always try to convince Mist instead.

"Thank you." said Verigan, looking away. Knowing that he wished to be left alone I turned away, folding my wings in an attempt to keep the gusts of wind from throwing me off balance.

"Ender, I need to talk to you." I said, drawing close enough to the other lord that we could speak without shouting.

"About what?" she sighed, holding a hand up to her forehead to shield her eyes from the sun's blinding rays as she surveyed the landscape, searching for any sign of our quarry.

"Ender, you know we can't just keep going like this." I sighed, arms flying out to either side as I tripped on some hidden obstacle and struggled to remain upright. "We have to rest, or pretty soon everyone is going to end up like Karpath."

"Don't you think I've thought of that?" she snapped, tail lashing from side to side in irritation. "Look." she said, putting her head in her hands in an attempt to calm herself. "I know you all are tired and thirst. I am too. But I also know that if we stop, it will be permanently. Rest may be one thing, but I can't just magic up water from nothing, at least not in this state. I was hoping that we would find something by now, since even as a lord of sand Israphel still had to drink something. And if we don't keep going, well then we might as well just end everything, since the lack of water will get to us before anything else."

"I guess you're right." I murmured, surveying the desert ahead of us. Something was bothering me, a stray memory that I could not quite put my finger on that told me there was something more that could be done here.

I smacked my forehead as it suddenly came to me, the sight of yet another fleshy green plant finally reminding me of the lesson I had learned in survival in another realm.

"You get the others to shelter, I'll be back as soon as I can." I called over my shoulder, already dashing down the sand dune.

"Where are you going?" Ender called after me, picking up on my change in tone.

"Hopefully to get something to drink." I yelled, wing flicking open to slow my barely controlled decent of the sand hill. "I'll be back quick as I can."

I turned my attention back to the desert plains we had trucked through, intent on prying and life sustaining liquid that it might contain away from it. And hopefully, I could do it before the sand storm got to me.

**Israphel's POV**

Running. That was all my world had become. The wind of the desert pushed me forwards, seeking to aid me in my flight from my pursuers.

"Can't let them catch me." I panted, wiping sweat from my forehead. Thick bands of sand already wrapped around my injuries, the chaos within it struggling to keep healing going while I was forced to move so rapidly.

**My chosen.** Called Void, his power looping around me, merging with that of the sand to speed my recovery.

"What is it my lord?" I asked, slowing slightly.

**Let the realm scum catch you.** he sneered **They are nothing. We can stand before them. They are nothing compared to our might.**

"If that is what you wish." I said, bowing my head. "Then that is what I shall do. Your word is my command my lord."

**That is as it should be.** said Void, an extra burst of power flowing through me. Nodding once more in acknowledgment, I situated myself on the top of a low rise, waiting for my enemies to appear.

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**A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Sorry if it was a bit short, but I have two battles planned for the next one and I wanted to make sure this was out before tomorrow. Anyway, now for questions for the characters (and me)!**

**From Hell Prince Abaddon to me: ****If Destiny is a Lord of order, does that mean that Lords of Chaos stand a chance at beating her? **

**Me: In a sense, yes. But Destiny is much stronger than the usual sort of Chaos lord. More should be explained in the next chapter. :)**

**If you have any questions for the characters, they can be PM'ed to me or left in a review. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	50. Destiny and Star

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. A lovely extra long chapter for you guys to make up for the short ones I've been posting lately. I know it was supposed to have two fights, but I seem to be incapable of writing a short combat scene. On with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Steve's POV**

"I do feel a bit bad just running off like this." I admitted to Star, peering around the corner to see if any Valkyrie were coming by.

*He'll be alright.* she assured me *It's your brothers who are in trouble right now, remember?*

"Yeah, I know." I murmured, looking away. A flash of pain from Herobrine ran through me and I flinched back, instinctively trying to escape the pain. Things had to be going badly if Herobrine was in danger like Notch had been before he had fallen into unconsciousness. There were few things that could take on either of them, let alone both right after one another.

_Where are they Star, any ideas?_ I sent, not wanting to alert the Valkyrie I could hear approaching to my presence.

*They are near by... but on another island. I don't know the area well enough to tell you more.*

_Another island? That's not good, it's not like I can fly there. Unless..._ I opened myself to the area, reaching out towards the one place I could think of that they might be, a smaller island connected to the main Aether palace. There wasn't much over there, just the various realm portals, the Valkyrie barracks and some of the rooms for the Aetherian lords. Just as I began to feel the edges of Notch and Herobrine's magic auras, shot through with a strangely rigid magic, Star pulled me back, her presence curling around mine to force it away from where I could sense my brothers.

*Careful* she scolded *Destiny is stronger than any foe you have met before. It would not be wise to alert her that you are seeking her out.*

_I guess you're right._ I sighed, looking off in the general direction where I had been able to sense them. If nothing else, my brief search had told me that they were indeed in the palace's other half, making the task of getting to them ever so slightly easier. Mindful of the Valkyrie around me in the nearby corridors and not wanting them to catch sight of me for fear they would tell Shadow where I was, I made my way towards the other island.

**Herobrine's POV**

There were few moments besides this one that I had felt the genuine levels of panic that were running through me right now. Beside me, I could tell that Jeb was in a similar state, eyes wide in shock and pain as he glanced around wildly for any sign of our pursuer. When the blue clad woman had relieved her true power to me, showing just how out of my league I was in trying to take her on, I had run for it, managing to get my unconscious brother onto my back and pulling a dazed Jeb along being me. Now we were hiding beneath a table shoved against one of the walls of the corridor we had run to, the closest bit of cover I had seen when the patches of blue gel that coated my legs had started to burn, making their way through my cloths and burning into my skin. I had almost crashed into a wall when I first felt it, burning sensations being something that I rarely experienced due to my powers. Even now I could feel it, eating into me, the places where it had finished doing so strangely numb. No doubt the flesh there had been replaced by the same strange bluish coating that I had spotted on both Jeb and Notch.

_Where is she?_ I wondered nervously, peering out from under the table and shifting Notch slightly to position him better on my back. There was no doubt that she knew where we were, so what could she hope to accomplish by playing this waiting game with us.

*She hopes to draw us out.* sent Jeb, peering into the dim hallway.*That's how she plays. She stays away long enough that her prey think they're safe, then she strikes. It's how she shows her power over things, that she can control what is to happen to you.*

_Geez, that's dark. How do you know so much about her anyway. _In answer, Jeb pulled down a wide gold bracelet on his right arm, revealing a symbol identical to the one I had seen on our pursuer's circlet.

*She claimed me as her chosen when Steve and Shadow needed healing after escaping the Overworld. I had no idea who she was at the time, and well, it wasn't exactly like I was given a choice even then. And apparently she's supposed to be the good one.*

_How is this good?_ I asked, attempting to cover as much of Notch's wings in my cloak as possible to keep the light from spilling out. They were quite dim now since his body was still healing, trying to deal with the damage the strange blue goo had not filled in, but at some point they would resume their normal level of luminescence.

*She's not this bad usually.* Jeb admitted *I think it's because there's so much Chaos around. Her powers are attempting to make order more influential and she's just going along with it.*

_Well, I wish she wouldn't_ I sent. My gaze was drawn to one end of the corridor by some small sound, searching for any sign of a potential attacker. At this point, an attack would be very dangerous. I wasn't even sure that I could stand up, much less run or fight if our follower were to show themselves.

*It could be worse.* sent Jeb *Apparently there is another lord, Light, who is like Destiny but much more negative.*

_Yeah, I wouldn't bring that up._ I sighed _With my terrible luck, that's just asking for them to show up._

*Shush, she's coming.* whimpered Jeb, pressing himself against the wall behind us. A blue glow rounded the corner, drawing nearer as our pursuer lazily searched for us.

"I know you're here." she called, a dark undertone to her seemingly light tone. "Come out, come out where ever you are."

_Don't move, don't make any sound, don't even breath._ I thought, squeezing my eyes closed in hopes that when I opened them, this would all turn out to be some terrible dream.

Peeking out through barely open eyes, I watched her progress down the hallway, unconsciously flinching back as she reached our hiding place.

"Oh, there you are." she said with false elation, reaching down towards us and wrapping her hand around Jeb's wrist, her nails digging into his skin as she pulled him from beneath the table and to his feet. "Oh, and your friends too." She exclaimed, flashing a dangerous smile that reveled her teeth. "Come out from under there you two. Why are you under there anyway? It's all dusty." Scooting forward to extract myself from beneath the table, I glanced at Jeb, silently asking what was going on.

*Just go with it.* he sent quietly, risking a look at Destiny *She will only make things worse if you try to resist her order. That's how she does things.*

"What are you going to do to us?" I asked, not meeting her gaze as I struggled to get to my feet. I was quite unstable, and Notch's weight on my back did noting to improve things, throwing off my usual balance and making me lean against the wall for support.

"Oh, we are going to get you poor, naughty lords patched up from where I had to punish you for doing things you're not allowed to, then we're going to find others to make sure that they are following the way of order. Now doesn't that just seem delightful?"

"I guess?" I said, the words sounding more like a question than anything else.

"What's going on here?" a very familiar voice asked from behind Destiny. A very irritated looking Steve stood in the doorway, his arms crossed in front of him.

"Get out of here Steve!" I cried, too worried about his safety to do anything else. If Destiny had been able to do this to me, Jeb and Notch, well there was no telling what her power would be able to do to Steve, what with his magic being as weak as it was now.

"Yeah, that's not going to happen." he said "This time I get to be the one who saves you for a change."

"Is this a joke?" asked Destiny, looking over Steve. "You are nothing compared to me. I control every outcome, every possibility of your little lord life. There is no path that I have not seen, and well that means I know how to keep this from ending in your favor."

"Really?" said Steve, looking at Destiny skeptically. "Well, if you're so sure of yourself, then what have you got to loose?"

"What are you suggesting?" the blue clad lord asked, her grip on Jeb's wrist loosening as she turned to face the younger lord. Jeb took the opportunity to wrench his arm from her grasp, backing a ways down the corridor away from her.

"Oh, I think you know what I am suggesting." said Steve, his cool tone giving nothing away. The small part of me that wasn't in complete panic from one part or another of this situation was impressed that Steve was able to keep so calm under Destiny's watchful gaze, especially considering the fact that he clearly knew what she was capable of.

"Enlighten me." she sighed, crossing her arms "Or are we going to play this game of guess the tactic until I actually stumble upon it?"

"A little combat." said Steve, gaze finally raising to meet Destiny's "Whichever side wins gets to tell the looser to do one set of commands, which they must do without protest as long as it is within their actual capabilities. Make sense?"

"Yes, hmm, well it's just that it wouldn't be much of a fight now would it?" said Destiny, waving her hand dismissively. "After all, your powers are so much weaker than mine. It would just put you at such a disadvantage." I felt a flash of anger from Steve but it was quickly quelled, the cheery facade replaced by the momentary anger that had filled him. There were some things that it was not wise to bring up around Steve, and the subject of how much stronger someone's powers was compared to his was one of those things.

"Don't worry about me." he said "After all, we are opponents should you agree. I have plenty to offer to this battle, don't you worry."

"Well, if you are so sure of yourself, then I can't really say no, now can I." Destiny said "Very well, I agree to your little combat. Where is it to be held? It would be quite strange to hold such a thing as this in a hallway."

Steve shrugged "It doesn't matter to me, but there is an empty room three doors down from here."

*Your brother either has one great plan or has completely lost it.* send Jeb, his words distracting me from the last of Steve and Destiny's conversation as they strode towards the other room, the two of us reluctantly following. Something told me that it would not be a good idea to try to leave, even while Destiny appeared to be distracted.

_Yeah, unfortunately I have no idea which it is._ I sent to Jeb, allowing a trace of worry to enter my sending _I just don't want anything to end up happening to him._ Looking back to the scene before me where Destiny and Steve were preparing, I sensed a strange aura lingering around Steve, not super obvious but enough that if you had spent a significant amount of time around him, you would know it was present.

"Begin." said Destiny passively once they were ready. "I'll even let you have a free hit, since it's the only one you're going to get." Steve responded with a grunt of annoyance, his complete attention on his opponent and her movements. He drew his diamond sword and ran at Destiny, swinging his sword downwards and leaving a deep cut in one of her arms. Almost immediately though the injury began to heal itself, the damage disappearing quickly into nothing. "Crafter weapons do little against me little lord." Destiny said, giving Steve a false sympathetic smile "Now, if only you had known that before you went and wasted your attack on something like what you did."

Ignoring her words Steve turned and followed his first blow with a sidelong swipe across her legs. Destiny lept back, one arm sweeping downwards to throw a sphere of her magic gel at Steve. I braced myself at the sight of it, waiting to feel the flash of pain transferred to me as it hit. Strangely though, no such thing occurred. Looking back to the fight, I saw that the projectile had bounced off a shield of gold magic that had sprung up around Steve, redirecting it to splatter harmlessly against the ceiling. From this angle, I could just about see the protection rune on Steve's arm, now illuminated with the same gold light that surrounded him.

"Hope, you piece of filth! How dare you stand between me and my prey!" the way she referred to Steve as prey angered me, but for once I knew better than to interfere. Steve seemed to have a plan, and I would only make things worse by stepping in.

*It's Star now, or haven't you heard.* a voice said, their sending tinged with the same gold magic that circled Steve. *Course you never were one to care to learn the names of your victims before striking.* Star's words seemed to enrage Destiny, her ice blue aura flaring outwards and sending splatters of her magic gel scattering across the room. Those that drew too close to Jeb and I were scattered by yet another shield of golden light. *Naughty Destiny, this fight is between the sides we agreed upon. They are not your playthings, to do with what you wish.*

"I tire of your chatter. We are enemies, nothing more. Let us end this in the way that will occur inevitably, no matter how you try to deny it. With me as it's victor."

*Do you forget who I am?* asked Star *My actions defy that has been foretold. Surly you remember that from our past combat.*

"Yes, that is evident, for I had defeated you and saw that you would not return." she spat, an ice colored glow surrounding her hand. A crystal sword materialized in her hand, the bright sheen of enchantments circling its tapered blade.

_Uh-oh_ I thought, looking at the weapon with trepidation. The blade was like nothing I I had seen in the realms before and that concerned me. Who knew what kinds of things it was capable of.

*Calm.* sent Notch to me weakly. I could feel him stir ever so slightly on my back, his body finally content that it was healed enough to release him from unconsciousness. *Don't want to send panic.*

_You're right._ I sent softly, carefully controlling the strength to avoid overloading him in his weakened state. _We've just got to wait and see what he will do. He might have a plan for this._

**Steve's POV**

_Shit, what the heck is that thing? _ I wondered, leaping aside as Destiny hurled another projectile of her magic towards me, this one a solid ball rather than the gel she had used previously. The blade she held was about the length of my arm and glowed with a bright blue brilliance, comparable to that of enchanted blades. But the magic that flowed through it was not the typical enchanting power that usually came from that type of weaponry. Rather it seemed to be imbued with Destiny's own power, a fact that did not seem to have escaped Star.

*Don't let that blade hit you.* she sent hurriedly, another golden wall erupting from the flow to block a stream of half condensed gel.

_What is it even?_ I asked, once again cursing my uncooperative magic as I was forced to dodge on of Destiny's attacks with no way to retaliate. Star had assured me that with my help she would be able to rival Destiny's power, but at the rate things were going, I wasn't too sure. After all, I could hardly face her in magic and the weapons I carried with me did damage that healed in seconds.

*Cosmic crystal blade.* send Star *They are a kind of offensive wand that some can summon. You can channel power through them really efficiently, and well there is also the fact that they are swords so you can do physical as well as magic damage.*

_Could they hurt Destiny? _I asked, crouching to allow a spray of blue shards to pass over me and attempting another swipe at her legs, which was painfully blocked by a shield of crackling blue energy. The contact sent me staggering back, waves of pain and static shooting up my arms.

*Yes it would.* sent Star *I see where you are going with this, so let me take it a bit further.* I felt a surge of her power run through me and a light weight object suddenly was present in my left hand. Glancing down, I saw a blade identical to Destiny's, save for the fact that it was ringed with Star's gold magic and shot through with traces of my dark cyan power.

*Some people can do this.* said Star *Fortunately I happen to be one of them. It's got some of your magic in it too, so it should respond to you, letting you respond better to Destiny. Be careful though. It is powerful, but there is a reason that it isn't just used every day. It allows access to powers that you might not otherwise be able to use, and there is usually a reason for that. I almost killed myself the first time I used it, and as it was I still destroyed the area in a huge radius and took weeks to heal. Just keep that in mind before trying to do anything crazy.*

_Will do._ I assured her, sheathing my diamond sword and exchanging it for the crystal one. It was much lighter than what I was used to, and charging towards Destiny I slightly miscalculated my swing, cutting harmlessly across the sleeve of her dress rather that into her body.

"What is this?" she mocked, eyes laughing at the display "Even with the same tools as me, you are no match for my. You remind me of my classmates in first year magics, unskilled and totally clueless when it came to what we were doing."

_That would be a whole lot more insulting if I had any idea what she was talking about._ I thought wryly, adjusting things in my mind to account for the lower weight of the crystal blade. I had done things like this before, it was just a matter of adjusting as quick as possible under very costly circumstances. I had no idea what Destiny might want me to do should she win, but it was certain that it was not anything I would go along with happily.

Without warning, Destiny threw up both hands in front of herself and sent shards of blue crystallized magic flying towards me. I was forced to bend backwards away from the attack, being so close to Destiny that any other movement was impossible to block the attack. Simultaneously she reached out with a tendril of magic, wrapping it around my ankles and pulling my feet out from under me. I crashed to the floor, all the breath leaving my lungs in one gasp and head spinning from the impact. Dazed, I squinted up at Destiny, trying to recall what I had been doing.

*Steve, get back!* cried Star, snapping me back to reality, but it was too late. Destiny grabbed me by the shoulder and shoved me up against the wall, holding me up off the ground and pressing her blade against my throat. Across the room, I heard Herobrine gasp, but wisely that seemed to be his only reaction. Any sign of interference would only make Destiny take action faster.

"Do you submit?" called Destiny, smiling darkly "Or do you need some more persuasion?"

*I am sorry this happened.* said Star softly *I thought we would be able to face her.*

_It's alright._ I sighed, eyes fixed on the blade, or at least what I could see of it. Remembering Star's words from before, I closed my eyes.

_Well, if it's this or nothing._ I thought, reaching for the strands of magic that intertwined with the blade's unique structure. _Let's see what we can do here._ Feeding more power into the blade I felt something shift, almost as if a barrier had been lifted from the world. Was this what Star had mentioned when she spoke of new abilities? The links between me and the other lords in the room seemed different, not just for transferring information anymore. Hesitantly I wrapped my magic around one, instinctively drawing the force towards me. To my surprise I felt a string of magic meld with mine, wrapped securely in my own power. At the same time, I felt a flash of concern from Herobrine, a questioning sending and touch intent on recovering his magic.

_Well, this changes everything. _I smirked, opening myself to the magic and immersing myself in it, pulling it to me and relishing in the feeling of power that had always eluded me in the past.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Also, you can leave questions for the characters in a review or PM them to me. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	51. Power and Falling

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. It's not long until the one year anniversary for this story, so I'm trying to get this arc finished up so I can start the next around then, which will finally mark the beginning of the second part (Although I suspect that part will be shorter.). Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Star's POV**

*Steve, Steve what are you doing?* I asked in concern, feeling the unexpected rush of power from all around us concentrate in the younger lord. I really hoped that he had not done anything rash, that Destiny's actions had not driven him to do something that he would later regret.

Around us, I could feel the concern of his friend lords, scared from the situation that Steve was in, and now from the strange force tearing at their magi, a force they very likely would not recognize as their friend.

_It's beautiful. _I felt the younger lord send, the words slipping out from his revelry of the power he had immersed himself in.

*Let it go Steve!* I shouted into the twisting sea of magic that surrounded him, hoping that he would be able to hear me. *You don't need this! If you grow attached to it, it will destroy you! You are not ready to handle such power!* He seemed not to hear though, caught up as he was in his revelry of the magic. Far off, I felt a questioning presence reach towards him, asking what had happened.

**Shatter's POV**

"Where did you go to end up like this?" I asked, my gentle touch to the roiling mass that filled Steve's aura seeming not to register. I had not been able to sense him at all before, hence the need for my search, but now it was as if things had been reversed. His aura stood out like a blazing beacon while I was exhausted and weakened from all of my searching. Strangest of all though, there seemed to be a secondary presence looped around Steve's, an almost intangible barrier that kept me from him.

_Who are you? _I asked warily, knowing that there were many even outside the Builder kind who would seek to harm my paired lord if they knew what he was.

*May I ask the same of you?* the presence asked, her sending draped in gold magic. *Not all in these realms are favorable to me and the one I watch. How I to know if you belong to those unsavory groups?*

_You're... watching Stevie? _I sent in shock, not quite able to accept her words. Did I really mean that little to him, that I could just be replaced by another?

*Yes, I am. I found him, alone and unsure, and I have watched over him since, doing my best to keep him safe.*

_Oh. _I sent softly, the word sounding empty. _I will... leave you to that then._

*Wait, who are you?* she asked, a trail of magic stretching out to brush mine.

_It's not important. _ I sighed, brushing away her magic and trying to put on a brave expression. _He's got you now. Just... just don't let anything happen to him._ I didn't wait for her response, drawing my aura in tightly around myself and allowing my body to sink to the ground. Only then did I allow the tears to fall. Without Steve, I was nothing, I had no purpose. And what's life worth if there is nothing left to live for.

**Steve's POV**

Being surrounded by magic was like nothing I had ever experienced before. It was as if pure power ran through me, the power to build and destroy, to shape life and take life away, to create worlds and send them back to the emptiness they came from. If this was what it always felt like to have so much magic, it was no wonder that Shadow and Herobrine had built realms against Notch's commands. Withing the swirling vortex of magic I could sense the lords around me, their awareness partially linked to mine through the magic I had drawn from them. Each magic was different, unique, though some of them were similar, alike in type but not in user. Before me though was a power that refused to mesh with mine, that despite my magic's clinging touch had managed to remain free of my grasp. My vision flickered for a moment and the lines of magic overlayed themselves with a view of the physical plane, showing me exactly who the uncooperative magic belonged to, though it would not have been hard to guess. Destiny still stood before me, a pace back from where she had stood while holding me against the wall. Outwardly she appeared the same as before, cool, collected, but with a fiery temper hidden beneath it. Her magic though, told a different story. It seemed to be trying to flinch away from some of the strands trailing around the edge, but there was also a pull towards my magic, the strands that did not flee from the disordered web near my power's perimeter seeking out the safety of the ordered center.

"So you don't like that magic, ehy?" I smirked, reaching out to pull strands of the power she seemed to avoid into the blade I carried. The power was a strange mix of chaos and something else, presumably Teloxen's, assuming that he was around. "Well, lets see what we can use them for then." Jumping forwards, I swiped at her with my blade, the weapon now perfectly balanced in my grasp, as if opening myself to these new powers had somehow attuned me to it. Destiny lept aside, bringing up her own blade to block my downward swing, the blades sliding against each other with an ear splitting shriek.

Hastily, I pulled my blade away, taking back the ground the small retreat had lost me almost instantly. Bit by bit, I drove her across the room, opening small cuts on her arms but unable to get any blow to do more damage. At last she ran out of room to retreat though, her back pressed up against the wall in much the same way that mine had been not long before.

"How the tables have turned, ehy Destiny." I said, watching her closely for any movement. After all, if I had been able to get out of the same situation, it was something that could definitely happen. "Do you give in?" I asked, laying my blade on the skin of one arm and holding it there. Not hard enough to cut into her skin, but definitely hard enough that she knew it was there. Destiny closed her eyes for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, before her gaze dropped to the ground, her previously wild expression taking on a more subdued look.

"I submit." she said softly, refusing to meet my gaze. "What is your command?"

"Remove your magic from my friends!" I said, gesturing to where the confused forms of Notch, Jeb and Herobrine still sat, the three of them silently observing what was going on in confusion and concern. Destiny laughed, a sound that echoed throughout the room long after she had stopped.

"You want me to get rid of my magic in them? That's why you did this?"

"Well, yeah, what about it?" I asked hesitantly, not quite sure why she was so amused by this. Surely a lord of order would understand loyalty to friends."

"I have absolutely no way to get rid of my magic after it is in someone." she said, her laughter returning, stronger this time "So this whole little combat thing you arranged, what you risked yourself for, yeah, it's not going to help you."

"What?" I gasped in shock, feeling unpleasant emotions bubbling within me. The magic I had taken into myself was till only partially under my control, and so it was reacting to my distress quite wildly.

*Steve, you need to calm down!* a voice insisted, breaking into my conflicting thoughts *They power you are playing with it dangerous. If you don't relax, it will only kill you faster.*

_Why would you tell me that? _I mentally screeched at the voice, trying to remember who it belonged to. The magic racing through me kept it from me though, drawing me back to the situation with the order lord before me, her name lost to me as well.

"You will help." I growled, tightening my grip on the crystal blade I held and narrowing my eyes "Else you shall deeply regret it." A slightly nervous expression crossed her features, her gaze unconsciously drawn towards where my blade was held, resting just above one of her arms.

"But you said that we would not have to do something that we were not able to do." she pleaded "And I am telling the truth."

"Sure you are." I snapped, digging the blade into her skin and causing a spray of bluish fluid to emerge from the wound. She winced back from the attack, hissing in pain and pulling her arm back, switching her blade to her other hand.

*I think she is telling the truth!* the voice said in alarm, trying her best to be heard through the chaos of my thoughts *Back off! You are not the bad guy here, you have to remember that Steve!*

Ignoring her, I pulled back my blade to strike again. *What's going on Steve?* a scared voice asked in my mind, strangely ringed with fire magic *You're not acting like yourself.*

_What do __you speak of? _I asked, slightly worried now since I felt that I should know the one sending this.

*What happened to you?* the firelord sent, the fear in his voice giving way to panic. *Do you not know who I am?*

"I... can't remember." I hissed, the words slipping out verbally rather than being sent to the other lord. Pressing my hands against my head I squeezed my eyes closed, blade forgotten in an attempt to lessen the confusion, struggling to recall anything and quiet my chaotic thoughts. The blade slipped from my grasp at the motion, and as it parted ways with my grasp, I felt a terrible snapping sensation as the magic I had taken under my control broke free, crashing down upon the broken fragments of my power and driving away any illusion of control that I had. The last thing I recalled before i was swept away in the flood of shattering magic and strange sensations was the woman in my mind's frantic sendings, telling me to stay with her, to respond, anything.

**Herobrine's POV**

What was happening before me, well I didn't like it, not one bit. I couldn't understand what was going on, and that bothered me, dredging up an emotion that I scarcely understood, fear. One minute Steve was about to be subdued by Destiny, the next he's facing her with greater strength than even she is able to wield. And then he just... stopped... and then I couldn't sense him. What had happened started to make sense when the magic that had been ripped from me returned, still carrying with it traces of the magic it had broken free from. Steve's magic.

Swallowing around the unexpected lump in my throat I asked softly "What was that? The power I mean. Any ideas?"

Jeb nodded, looking away from me, as if ashamed that he knew, or rather, ashamed of how he knew. "It's called mana channel." he said at last "Destiny mentioned it to me one time when she was telling me about powers I might have to face some day if I were to encounter her people. It allows an individual to take the powers of others into themselves and use them as their own, but it comes at a cost. Those who have the power to use mana channel cannot have much power of their own, for it would interfere. And if it is done wrong, well..."

"Come on, just say it." I growled, glaring at the other lord. I was fed up with people trying to keep things from me. Whatever it was, I could handle it. Jeb nodded reluctantly, looking away.

"If it is done wrong, it will... kill the user. Slowly, and without mercy."

Eyes widening and a strange wetness spreading around their edges, I turned and stared at where Steve lay. If Jeb's words were true, it might be the last time I saw him alive.

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**A/N: Hey, I hope you enjoyed. Please consider leaving a review with feedback or questions for the characters. As always, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter! Bye! :D**


	52. Steve and Shatter

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Another long chapter for you guys, since the one year anniversary is in just over a week! I hope you all enjoy! On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel.**

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**Star's POV**

It took all of my skill at evasion to manage to extract my aura from the wave of power that crashed down onto Steve, driving him deep into the magic plane. I felt a bit guilty doing it since it felt like I was abandoning him, but I knew that I could help him far more if I was not stuck in the magic plane with him.

Nearby I could sense Destiny reaching out questioning tendrils of magic, no doubt searching for my presence. Since I was no longer concealed by Steve's magic, it would not be very hard to find me. And we hadn't exactly parted ways on the best of terms last time we met.

**What are you doing here you little traitor?** hissed Destiny, a tendril of magic managing to wrap itself around my aura.

**Well, after we had so much fun last time, how could I resist coming back?** I said, smirking at the outrage I could feel boiling within her. **Why are you so bent out of shape anyhow? You were the one trying to kill me after all.**

** She's just upset because her powers have been shown up by Void's love.** another voice snickered, their magic visible on the edge of my senses.

**So now the traitors are multiplying. **sneered Destiny, **Why have you come here Will? This is between Star and myself.**

** Destiny, Destiny, Destiny. **snickered Will, trying to present an aura of seriousness and failing miserably. **We've talked about this before. I cannot be a traitor to you, no matter how much you wish it could be so. I was never on your side in the first place. You do remember how betrayal works, right? After all, you order lords would do anything to preserve your precious prophecies.**

"What's going on?" a hesitant voice asked. Remembering that there had been others watching the conflict, I opened myself to the physical plane, a view of the material world overlaying itself with the one of the magic plane I had been able to see prior. The firelord Destiny had been chasing, Herobrine if I remembered correctly, was crouched near Steve, checking the younger lord for any sign of life. Beside him lay a half-conscious Aetherian lord, patches of Destiny's magic splashed across his lower torso. A third lord, Destiny's chosen, stood between Destiny and the others, searching for any response.

"Will and Star decided to stick their magic where it didn't belong." snapped Destiny, shooting the two of us a withering glare.

**Hey, don't bring me into this.** complained Will **I just came to see what all the fuss was. If you sensed a ton of magic being used without any idea what was going on, you'd probably check it out too.**

** So, what are you going to do now Destiny?** I asked.

"I already told Steve I can't get rid of my magic!" she yelled "So stop bringing it up, alright?!"

**Stop freaking out.** I said **I didn't even bring it up, you did. I just asked what you were planning to do next.**

** Y'know I don't remember you being this hostile last time we met.** said Will, his magic condensing into his Crafter form. He lay backwards in the air, head tipped back so he could see Destiny, albeit upside down.

**It's all the chaos around. **I sighed, speaking before Destiny could snap back **The Overworld is trying to maintain some level of evenness between the two forces, and so Destiny here feels the extra need to spread her power to everything.**

** Eh, whatever. **shrugged Will **So what did ya mean by Destiny can't get rid of her magic? If its getting rid of order magic you need, I'm sure I can assist.**

"Really?" asked Herobrine, looking up hopefully from where he knelt by his brother. As he shifted I noticed the long blue streaks of magic across his legs, another product of Destiny's need to rid herself of excess order magic.

Will shrugged, a slight ripple running through his aura. **Should be able to. I mean, chaos and order kinda cancel each other, so the theory's alright.**

** Will, only you would think that it was a good idea to mix pure order and chaos magics.** I sighed **Reactions are basic magic stuff, and since you seem to have a need to break things down whenever possible, I figured you would at least remember that.**

"What would happen?" asked Herobrine, one hand drifting down unconsciously to trace the lines of embedded magic.

**Best guess? Huge explosion. Pure magics don't generally react well together, and the order and chaos powers of two lords who oppose each other are about as nasty a combination as you get.**

"Yeah, well best not do that then." Herobrine said, wincing slightly as he imagined the outcome of that.

"Is there anything that can be done to help Steve?" asked Jeb softly, his words causing Herobrine to tense up slightly, the reminder of his brother's plight putting him on edge.

"I don't know." said Destiny "We've no idea the state he's in after being thrown there." She left unspoken the words that they were not to hear, that the younger lord's spirit might have been broken into nothingness from the collision with the plane, leaving his physical body alive but forever in a state of sleep-like stillness.

"I believe that I may be able to assist with your problems." a soft voice said from the hallway "If you will have me." A gray robed figure stepped into the room, the soft aura of dove colored magic that ringed him marking him as Miritayen's chosen.

Teloxen had always struck me as a strange choice for both a lord and keeper of balance. He was just a bit too eager to please others, making it difficult to say no when something went against the balance. I had mentioned it to Miritayen once and he had smiled, saying _The only way he will learn how to maintain balance is by making mistakes. Those will teach him more than any words I could say. I'm just here to pick up the pieces should something go wrong._ Miritayen was odd like that. He knew that he was disliked by the other lords and simply took it in stride, saying it was all a part of the balance.

"Your help will not be denied because of your past." sighed Jeb, turning to look at Teloxen "Though there are still things I cannot find the will to forgive you for."

Teloxen simply dipped his head in acknowledgment, approaching where Steve lay unconscious on the floor. "I will help your friend first." he said softly, nervously twisting the edge of one tattered wing in his fingers. "If that is alright of course."

Herobrine nodded slowly, shifting backwards slightly to allow Teloxen to kneel beside the other lord. The Aetherian lord on the floor stirred and Herobrine lay a protective arm across him, doing his best not to contact the blue patches of magic on the other's body. Teloxen closed his eyes, reaching out and resting a hand on Steve's chest as he attempted to revive the younger lord.

**Miritayen's POV**

"Be safe my chosen." I murmured as I sensed Teloxen enter the area where I could sense Star, Will and Destiny. He had called to me for guidance when Steve had lost hold on the enormous amount of power he had gathered from the area, seeking to help him recover. He felt a debt to the younger lord, maybe not as strong as the one I had heard he had for the Starlords, but still a decent size for keeping from his family for years through the use of his memory spell. While he sought to drawn Steve's spirit from where it lay within the magic plane, stunned and confused but still managing to remain intact, I was seeking out the source of the strange ripples of dismay I had sensed during Steve and Destiny's fight. Perhaps they could be of assistance, giving us a greater chance of preserving the young Builder. Steve was pretty much the closest to a follower of balance among the realmkind, at least from what I knew of him and his realm. It always seemed to attempt to even out the forces present within it, if only to preserve the health of its creator. A lazy tendril of magic, carrying with it the traces of the same unhappiness that I had sensed prior drifted into view and I followed the line of magic with my gaze, tracing its path to where a figure sat huddled on the edge of one of the Aetherian islands, a hundred or so blocks from where I stood.

Flicking my wings open to their full extension I jumped upwards, my wings sweeping downwards and propelling me into the air before gravity could return me to the island I had been standing on. It did not take me long to cover the distance between myself and the other island, and soon I stood behind the one who sat huddled on the ground, the source of the unhappy ripples I could feel spreading throughout the area.

"What has made you feel this sorrow?" I asked softly, causing the figure to jump slightly in surprise. The sudden movement shifted their cloak enough to allow me to confirm their identity. As I had thought, it was Shatter, the strange lord who seemed not to realize that several lords were able to see his bond with Steve. I had never brought it up around him before, deciding it was better to keep him at ease through ignorance when it came to that topic. After all, I swore no alliance to Builderkind that would force me to reveal that fact, so why bring up something that would just lead to worry and stress. But it seemed as if there was finally a need for me to reveal this fact to him.

"Who are you?" he asked, and I mentally slapped myself. I had forgotten that I had never actually met Shatter in the physical plane, merely having observed his actions and interactions from afar.

"I am Miritayen." I said, and a slight glint of recognition sparked in his eyes. Teloxen had mentioned telling several lords of my existence at some point or other, maybe Shatter had been one of them. It wouldn't surprise me, given that Star had been lurking around Steve for some time now. Perhaps his paired lord had been seeking some kind of explanation. Regardless of how he knew though, the fact that he at least in part recognized me made things easier.

"So why are you here?" he asked, turning to look out across the emptiness of the space between the Aether islands.

"I sensed your little ripples of unhappiness going out across the realm." I said, trying to judge his reaction to my statement "I wanted to know why."

Shatter looked down, a thin film of tears covering his eyes.

"I don't want to talk about it." he whispered.

"You sure?" I asked, turning away slightly from the clearly distressed lord. When he showed no sign of responding, I spread my wings, reluctantly turning to leave the island. There wasn't much I could do if he refused to talk to me, and I was not one to force others to speak of things that upset them

"Wait." Shatter managed to choke out, his body shuddering slightly from the soft sobs that his sadness had brought about. "Why... did you come. Something has happened, to... to Stevie, I know it has, but our link has been all but cut off so I don't know what."

"And why was it cut?" I asked, hoping my question would encourage the other to speak without making him question how I knew of his link with Steve. Distress tended to make you overlook things like that though, a fact I was counting on.

"I... I was upset." said Shatter "I had spent so long looking for him, and when I could finally sense him again, well there was another along with it."

It suddenly dawned on me why Shatter had been so upset after reaching out to Star, something that she had hurriedly sent to me in a pause in action during the battle.

"You thought that he had replaced you." I said, wanting to confirm my thoughts. Shatter nodded, looking distressed.

"It was my first thought, yes. In rage and dismay I all but broke the link between us, leaving only the smallest bit remaining. I now regret what I did though." He closed his eyes, tipping his head upwards to face the sky. "I had forgotten the aura I had sensed around him before while he was in hiding. I thought it was just paranoia then, that's how weak it was, but after calming down a bit I remembered. Who is she?" He asked at last, gaze shifting slightly and eyes fluttering open to glance at me.

"A friend." I said, glad I could put him at ease. "She calls herself Star, though that is not her only name. Would you like me to take you to them? My chosen is working to help Steve recover, and your presence may make that task easier."

Shatter nodded, his features taking on an air of relief. Clearly, even though he had thought Steve had replaced him, he had still worried for the safety of the other.

"Come along then." I said, spreading my wings as he mounted a moa that had been tethered to a small shrub "We are needed."

**Steve's POV**

Pain. That was the sensation that I could feel the most intensely now. And though it wasn't a great feeling, it did mean one thing. That I was still alive. If the pain were to stop, then I would really be worried.

Pushing up off the ground I winced, the movement agitating my strained form. Peering into the dimness of wherever I was, I struggled to see, well, anything that might be of use as a land mark or reference. There were none though. The place I was seemed to be nothing more than a flat, nondescript plane with nothing in it at all.

Taking a few hesitant steps, I found that there was indeed nothing there, that the area was not simply concealing whatever was present. More confidently I walked forwards, hoping to find something to tell me where I was.

It only took five steps for me to hit a problem though. Literally. I ran face first into the wall, the area giving no distinction between where there was and was not a barrier. Okay, so maybe my last observation was a little presumptuous.

*Magic.* some small voice seemed to whisper, triggering a memory of something Shadow had told me. He had said that when we opened ourselves to the magic of the area, what we were really seeing was a view of another plane, the magic plane. Was it possible that this was where I was? And if so, why could I see nothing then?

*The magic runs through you.* the voice whispered once more *But it is trapped, cut off from the rest of the world. To see the rest, you must let it free.*

_Well, its worth a try._ I thought, reaching for my magic and hesitantly lowering the barriers between it and the outside world. It was rare for me to let down my guard in any way except maybe around Shadow, Cresilia and Shatter, so it was a strange sensation, one that I had never become accustomed to. As my magic reached tentative tendrils outwards, the plane I was on slowly brightened, dim shapes forming and resolving into a likeness of the Aether room that I last remembered being in. But what had happened to me to leave me in this place?

It was then that I noticed the figured. Likenesses of the ones I knew made up of a haze of light, each distinctive and unique from their color. One blue, two shades of yellow, one red and one gold. Two colors puzzled me though. One green figure floating by the blue one, Destiny I assumed, and a gray and purple one, situated near the center of the room. Taking a step towards them, I gently touched their shoulder, letting out a gasp as my hand did not touch solid flesh but rather simply passed though partially. Then it seemed to catch on something, and a flash of panic followed by relief rushed through me from the contact.

*It's you Steve.* they said to me, and I was able to place the familiar presence at last. Teloxen. *Good, the others will be happy to know you are alive.*

"Where am I?" I asked. Then, recalling that I had only sensed Notch and Herobrine in the immediate area when I knew that I had had Shadow hot on my trail, I asked "Where's Shadow?"

*He ran into some trouble.* said Teloxen *Nothing serious.* he assured when I winced *He just ran into a new battalion of Valkyrie who didn't recognize him, and so when they saw him running like crazy through the palace, they may have jumped to conclusions a bit. Shadow may be good, but he was trying not to kill them, so they managed to get him locked in some room. He contacted me to go and get Notch or Jeb to vouch for him, and well when I found them, we had bigger problems. Like what happened to you.*

"Which was what exactly?" I asked. For some reason, the exact event that had led to me being here seemed to have escaped me.

*You nearly killed yourself by channeling a lot more power than you were ready to.* Teloxen sighed *As we speak, I am trying to balance the magic in your body, hoping that it will allow me to rebuild the bridge between your body and where you are now in the magic plane.*

"And if it won't?" I asked. If something bad might happen, I wanted to know now while I still might be able to do something about it.

*Then I will have to ask Miritayen for help.* sent Teloxen, clearly avoiding the answer he knew I wanted to hear *He had found you paired lord and is bringing him to where we are.* a part of me wanted to continue asking about the outcome he wouldn't speak of, but his words caught my attention.

"He's bringing Shatter?" I asked, not even bothering to ask who Miritayen was. If he was bringing my other half back to me, that was all I cared about. I had felt Shatter's absence keenly through my self imposed exile from the other lords, so much so in fact that it had driven me to seek out the comfort of others, even though it was perilous to my health and safety. Much to my dismay though, when I had finally made my way to Notch's castle where I had been so sure he would be waiting, he had gone off looking for me, the same worry for me that I held for him.

*Yes. We thought it would be easier to rebuild the bridge between you and the physical plane if he was here, since he anchors you to that world. It may be the only reason that you survived being trapped there. You just have to be brave until he gets here, okay? And stay safe.*

"Safe from what?" I asked hesitantly, peering nervously into the room.

*I dare not speak their names for fear of attracting them.* sent Teloxen *But be brave. Will and Destiny's auras might keep them away, but I can make no promises. We shall hurry as fast as we can.* With that, I felt the link fade slightly, Teloxen turning his attention to something else. On the edges of the room I could see things shifting and I stepped back a pace, worried that they might be the creatures Teloxen had spoken of.

_Please hurry. _I thought, silently urging the others to move quickly _I was never very good at being brave._

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**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so please consider leaving a review or questions for the characters. Also, don't worry about the main battle with Israphel, we will get back to that next chapter. This was not meant to end up this long, but like everything else I write with Steve in it, it kind of got out of hand. So anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	53. Preparing and Problems

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. So I would like to thank you all for coming this far with me. The one year anniversary of this story is the 16th, and I never dreamed that I would have so many readers who stuck with me through all of it. As of writing this, Izra's Fall is just under 2,000 views, while Ender's Journey has almost 6,700 and Shadow's Story has over 8,500 views. I could never have done this without the support of you guys, so once again thank you. **

**So I don't really know what happened with this chapter, I was attempting to wrap things up and write the fight with Israphel, and then this happened, because whenever I write about Steve, everything just gets weird. On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Ender's POV**

"Where do you think he went?" hissed Mirexal, peering out from behind a small hillock. The faint footprints and traces of magic we had been following to track Israphel had gradually tapered off to nothing, a combination of the terrain shifting from sand covered dunes to rocky spires and the ever growing presence of Void's magic that was growing in the area, drowning out the magic of his follower.

"He could be anywhere, stay sharp." whispered Verigan, shifting Karpath's weight on his back slightly to avoid dropping him. The water that Mirexal had managed to pry from several dozen cacti had done wonders for Karpath, but exhaustion still clung to him, preventing him from moving on his own. Glancing up to where I could see the sun sinking in the distance, swirls of sand whipped up by the wind as it blew past, I considered what our next move should be. Everything we had done so far had been a reaction to Israphel's actions, the other lord leading us on a great game of chase through a dozen biomes his power had shifted to sand. And the area before us was perilous, a location ripe for attacks and ambushes of all sorts. We would all need to be on guard to even have a chance at evading them, and our trek through the desert had taken its toll.

Around me I heard the others stop, their gaze drawn curiously to my still form. Finally I looked to them, taking in their tired postures.

"Help me find somewhere we can set up camp." I sighed "We're tired enough as it is, and even if we found him, we wouldn't want to deal with him like this." A muffled cheer from Rayko rebounded off the nearby rocks, the red-winged lord nearly falling to the ground from relief. I guess he hadn't been kidding when he complained of being so tired before, threatening to simply stay behind in the sands while we continued on.

*Ender, you have to take more seriously the concerns of those around you.* said Mist *They are looking to you for guidance since they see you as the leader of this little expedition. You may be younger than Mirexal and Rayko, but you knew Izra, and therefor Israphel, better than either of them ever did.*

_Alright._ I sighed, eyes slipping downwards _I'll keep that in mind. But why didn't they just say something?_

*Well, Mirexal did, but I suppose there was a reason you couldn't stop then.* Mist pointed out *The others would never ask though. Rayko is used to Sallen having everything all planned out and telling him exactly when he needs to do something. And Verigan and Karpath are Crafter guards. They're probably trained not to question those above them, if Crafters are anything like the other city-dwelling creatures I've met.*

_I __suppose._ I sighed, turning my attention back to the others around me.

"Thank you." murmured Mirexal, pausing as he turned to follow Verigan to where the Crafter was scouting for camp sites, his son now resting beside Rayko's half conscious form. "We needed this."

Nodding once in acknowledgment I looked away, catching sight of a long crack in the rock several blocks from where I stood. Stepping over to it, I looked inside. It was deeper than I had initially thought, the crack quickly widening to form a small room concealed from the outside world and sheltered from the elements.

"Over here, what do you think of this for a camp?" I asked, calling the searchers back. The two of them hurried over, Mirexal bending down to peer into the small cavern.

"It looks alright." he said at last, extracting himself from the cave. Verigan nodded in agreement, turning to retrieve Karpath and move him to the safer new location we had discovered. As he did, the wind began to pick up, the early gusts from a sand storm that would no doubt be approaching.

"Looks like this came just in time." said Mirexal as he helped Rayko to his feet. "If we had kept going, we would have been stuck down one of these ravines when the storm hit."

"Yeah." I murmured, picking up a few of the warmer rocks strewn about around the area to create a pile in the center of the small cave. While the days were blistering in the Chaos desert, the nights were frigid, and if we were not going to be moving, we would need something to keep us warm. But more worrisome thoughts were on my mind as I carried out the repetitive task. Would I have really had them press on if not for our lack of success in finding any traces of Israphel, therefore putting them at great risk of harm from the sand storm that would later come.

*Do not think of that now.* soothed Mist, her words accompanied by a sending of gentle emotions, intending to calm my troubled thoughts. *It will only keep you from resting. Think quiet thoughts now, you need to rest if you are to face Israphel.* I nodded at her words, climbing through the crack in the cliff to where my companions had settled in various states of wakefulness.

"You all get some rest, I'll keep watch." I said, trying to keep my tiredness from breaking through.

"No Ender, you need to sleep." said Mirexal, pulling his wing out from beneath Rayko, who had rolled on top of it while attempting to sit up. "I'll keep watch. I've spent longer than this without sleep dozens of times, once more won't do any harm."

"Well, if you're sure." I said, secretly welcoming the chance to sleep. At his nod, I stepped further into the cave, sliding down the wall to rest against it and the floor. Pulling my wings close to combat the chill of the stone, I drifted off, the first sleep I had received in many days besides the short naps during sand storms.

**Shatter's POV**

"Where are we going?" I gasped, the chill wind stirred up by my moa's quick glide biting into me. Miritayen was a very quick flier compared to pretty much anyone I had met before, his huge wings allowing him to travel at the maximum speed my moa could manage without much effort.

"Notch's castle." he called over his shoulder, looking back to ensure that I was following. A jolt of surprise ran through me at this.

"Why?" I asked.

"It's where Steve is." Miritayen said, looking slightly confused "Didn't you know that?"

"No, that's why I was out here looking for him." I said softly, feeling surprisingly upset at the fact. Why had none of them thought to tell me that Steve had been found?

Miritayen shrugged "I don't know about your personal things with him, but I'm sure you can work everything out afterward. What matters right now it making sure he's safe. Right?"

"I guess." I sighed, glancing down at my moa. We continued the rest of the journey in silence, the palace eventually appertaining before us. Miritayen suddenly grabbed hold of one of the dangling ends of my moa's reigns, giving no warning to me. I felt a terrible ripping sensation as Miritayen phased into the other plane, taking me with him through contact with my moa. Several seconds later we phased back, now inside the building.

"You alright?" he asked, folding his wings so that they did not get caught on the walls.

"Maybe?" I gasped, shakily dismounting my moa "just warn me if you're going to do that again. Like ever."

"Okay." said Miritayen, dipping his head "I apologize for that. But you are needed as soon as possible. My chosen tells me that he can processed no further without your assistance."

"Does he know if Stevie is okay?" I asked, my pet name for the other lord slipping out against my power. Part of me wanted to be angry at him for what had happened so far, but a large portion of my mind just wanted to ensure that he was alright, that there was nothing in a position to harm him.

"Well..." said Miritayen hesitantly, seeming to consider his next words carefully. "Teloxen was able to speak with him, so we know he was well enough to do that, but I don't know much besides that. The magic plane can shift greatly in a very short time, so..."

"Wait!" I said, eyes widening "Is that what happened to him? He got trapped in the magic plane?"

"Yes..." said Miritayen, looking as if he wished he had never brought that up. "Is that of a particular problem?"

"Uh, yeah!" I snapped, now hurrying more quickly in the general direction we had been traveling. We were close enough that I could sense Teloxen and the others, and I knew the area well enough to figure out the way from that. For Miritayen's sake, since he looked quite confused running after me, I attempted to explain my thoughts as I ran. "There are, uh, creatures in that dimension. I should know, I am one of their kind. When our paired lord dies, we exist in the physical plane for a while, but then we end up back in the magic plane. But without a paired lord to keep us grounded we fade, slowly disintegrating to nothing. Steve's actually been in the magic plane before, when I had to take over to keep him safe, but that was different, I could protect him then."

"Why is it so dangerous then." asked Miritayen "Surely the others of your kind would simply avoid him. There are powerful lords in the area who are watching out for him."

"You would think." I gasped, my breath coming more quickly now "but as they fade, they loose reason. All they will be able to tell is that he is a paired lord who is not of our kind. They will try to link to him, in their irrational states thinking he is their paired lord, and when he does not know them they will try to force his spirit to bond with theirs. If they were actually paired, that would then relink them if something had happened to somehow separate them. Even if Steve was unpaired, it might have a chance of not ending badly, though he would have some unknown and unstable spirit bonded to him. But he is bonded to me, so any attempt to do so would rip his spirit to pieces, the energy having no other output. So, yeah, as you can see, its kind of a big problem." I practically shouted the last but, furiously wiping the tears from my eyes that I had not even been aware of.

"Alright." said Miritayen "I see what troubles you. Now we must help him, so you have to be strong. No matter what. Promise?"

Closing my eyes I struggled to center myself, finally slowing my breathing to a reasonable rate. "Promise." I said, meeting Miritayen's gaze.

"Good." the other lord said, gesturing for me to enter the room where I could sense the others. Inside, a blue robed lord was bickering with a roughly Crafter shaped cloud of green mist, radiating the same aura I remembered from Steve's past encounter with Will. Jeb and Notch lay to one side of the room, sleeping, with Herobrine watching over them. And in the center of the room sat Teloxen, crouched next to Steve's motionless form. Some kind of circle had been sketched around the two of them in chalk, serving to further separate the two of them from the rest of the room. Teloxen looked up at the sound of footsteps and sighed in relief at the sight of Miritayen, a small smile of relief springing to his lips.

"You're here." he sighed, standing carefully and stepping over the lines of chalk runes.

"How is he?" asked Miritayen, bending down to run several feathers along one of Steve's arms. Teloxen sighed.

"Well, I think I managed to get all of the other lord's magic out of him, so that's one catastrophe out of the way. Star said that was the most important thing to do first since the other magic would eat away at him otherwise."

"Yes, well done in removing that." said Miritayen "Now what are you going to do next?"

"What, me?" asked Teloxen, taking a small step away form the white haired lord. "But I thought that you were going to do this."

"Teloxen, this kind of magic is as much about emotions and trust as it is using the correct spells. Steve's never met me, he knows nothing of me or what my intentions might be. No matter what you have done Steve in the past, he knows that you have tried to make up for it and want to help him. So you have to be the one to do it. Shatter can help you, but I am afraid that I will not be able to."

Reluctantly Teloxen nodded. "Can you help them then?" he asked, pointing to where Herobrine and the others sat. "Destiny got some magic on them and she can't get it off."

"That I can do." said Miritayen "You can do this Teloxen, I believe in you." Reluctantly the younger lord nodded, stepping back into the circle and gesturing for me to do the same.

**Steve's POV**

"What was that?" I whispered, taking a small step back towards the green aura that reminded me of Will. I felt safer near to the aura patches, their presence reassuring me. For beyond them strange things prowled, staying to the edges of the room for now but creeping closer as the auras around me did nothing to stop their progress. The same sound came again, something like a giggle.

"Hello?" I asked nervously, peering outwards towards the dim edges of the room. I could brighten things by spreading my magics towards them, but right now the last things I wanted to do was reach out with my magic towards something that would bring me great harm.

"Hello." a smooth voice replied, making me jump back in surprise.

"Uh, Teloxen, I don't think I'm alone in here." I whispered, reaching out to lay my hand on his aura, next to which another had appeared, this one a dark grayish cyan. Before I could touch his aura though, a hand snaked out of the darkness and grabbed my wrist, holding it securely just above Teloxen's aura.

"Hey, let go of me." I cried, trying to pull my arm from the creature's grasp.

"Oh, little lord." it crooned, pulling me towards the shadows where it was concealed "How I have missed the ones like you. You left me here, alone, so long that I was sure I had been left to rot away, the Builders having hunted to extension those like you, leaving my people forever trapped. But with you, yes, with your help we could be great again."

"Teloxen, anyone, help!" I cried, struggling to pull away from whatever creature it was.

"Oh, there's no point in struggling." the creature smirked, running a hand across my cheek "There is no one coming for you. And even if they were, they could not stand before me. Not in my home realm." As he said this, he raised a tentacle like tail, stepping forwards enough that I could see his figure silhouetted in the light of the magic around me. The tail had five smaller tentacles on it that moved independently, wriggling like the tentacles of a squid. Instinctively I flinched back, but his grasp kept me steady as he rested it on my chest, the five smaller appendages spreading out to form a star like shape.

"You would do well to keep still." the creature said "I wouldn't want to make a mistake." Opening my mouth to ask what he meant, I instead let out a cry of agony as the tentacle drove into my chest, the smaller ones growing outwards to reach towards my arms, legs and head. The detached part of me that was not in pain wondered how my body could even function at the point, given the amount of damage that would have to have been done to achieve what the creature had done to me. The rest of me though, was more caught up in the blinding pain that coursed through me, increasing to even greater levels as the small tentacles sprouted even smaller tendrils that reached out to catch hold of more of my body.

"Ah, little lord, do you feel hurt from what was done?" the creature asked, reaching out a had to brush aside some of the tears that were coursing down my face. I wanted to scream at the creature, to demand to know how it could do something like this to another creature, but as the tendrils spread outwards, I discovered that my actions were no longer under my control.

"Don't worry little lord." the creature said sweetly, reaching out and caressing my cheek again "Soon we will be together for all time and the pain will never find you again. Won't that be lovely? I will keep you from ever fading and we will make the world better for my people. Would you like that?"

Reaching outwards with the few strands of magic that had not been restrained by the questing tendrils, I screamed mentally into the area, hoping that anyone would be able to help stop this crazed creature from consuming me further. Then I felt the creeping tendrils release some sort of liquid into my body, numbing all sensations and driving me into a state of perpetual half wakefulness, everything seeming to carry with it the air of a forgotten dream.

**Will's POV**

The scream I felt suddenly cross the magic plane was like being slapped in the face. Quick, unexpected, and bearing the presence of someone I had met relatively recently. Destiny didn't seem to notice, being in her physical form at the time, so I casually dipped back into the magic plane, knowing that she probably wouldn't notice. When she started ranting about something, there was not much that could distract her.

The sight that greeted me was not pretty to say the least. A creature I was unfortunately very familiar with stood to one side of the area, the long, thin tail that some of his kind possessed stretched forwards and imbedded into the body of the lord he held in his arms. Through the flickering aura of the one he held, I could see the tendrils of the creature's tail, stretched throughout their body, binding the two of them together. It was something that I had hoped never to have to see again, after loosing one of my chosen to the same fate.

"Texolauren." I growled, trying to surreptitiously find Star as I carefully approached the creature.

"Kuziri, you are not one I had expected to see again." Texolauren said "Not after what happened last time."

"I go by Will now." I snapped, finally locating Star's presence looped around Miritayen. Much as I disliked dealing with him, Texolauren was not someone to combat lightly. He was the realmlord of the magic plane, the leader of a strange breed of creatures who took the magic plane spirits of paired lords to join their ranks and then took their other halves as hosts. It had occurred to me at some point that the Builders might actually have some logic behind their continued purge of the paired lords if it had been to keep Texolauren and the others of his race from escaping into the material plane. If left undiscovered for long enough, they could eventually shift a host form to their own true form, allowing them to carry out the repulsive link method that had been used here.

Linking with Star, I melded with her aura partially, allowing her to view what was going on through my eyes. She had take the lord, Steve, under her protection, but if this was what her protection involved, well it was pretty obvious why so few of the Starlords were left then. Although, to be fair, once Texolauren caught a lord, there wasn't much that could be done. Still, I felt bad, When I had met him, Steve had seemed like one of those lords who always got the worst of things, even when its wasn't really involving him.

"I don't suppose you would let that one go?" I asked.

"No, no, I would never do that." he said, waving his hand dismissively "After all, this little one has felt too much pain. Only I can keep him safe from any more."

Did I mention that they had this really creepy ability that kept them from feeling pain and so they set out to rid the world of pain and so they set out to rid the world of pain by making creatures their hosts, since their host creatures then shared that ability since they were possessed?

"And also." said Texolauren, raising a hand to display the rune on it "We wouldn't want to upset our ally." Disbelief raced through me at the sight of the mark.

"But you hate anything without order." I said "Why would you ever team up with Void?"

"We can put out differences aside when there are greater things on the line" he said dismissively "And the freedom of our race, now that is something that we wish for more than order. So when Void mentioned that this little lord might be in his way, well I kept my eyes open."

*I'll tell the others.* said Star, her tone horrified from what she had seen.

_Weren't you in Void's alliance too?_ I asked, keeping my eyes Texolauren in case he tried anything. If he shifted more towards his true form he would have more tentacles under his control, something I did not want to deal with right now.

*I'll tell you about that later.* she sighed *Right now we have to stop them from accidentally summoning Void's new ally to the Aether.*

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Hopefully I will be able to wrap this up by next chapter, but no promises since things tend to just write themselves. Anyway, if you have any questions for the characters or any feedback, just leave a review or PM them to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	54. Alliances

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I wish this could be longer, but I was sick over the weekend. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft**

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**Teloxen's POV**

*Listen my chosen.* sent Miritayen, snapping me out of the laser focus I had adopted to perform my spells *You must stop what you are doing immediately.*

_Oh, uh, okay._ I stammered, unprepared for the sudden change in what Miritayen wanted me to do. Only a bit ago, he had been insistent that I was to do whatever was in my power to bring Steve back to this plane, and now he just wanted me to stop trying. _Why?_ I asked, looking over with some concern to where Shatter sat, confusion and pain clearly written across his features. _Has something happened?_

*Yes, something has happened.* sighed Miritayen *Just don't do any more spells until I give you the okay, alright?*

_Oh, okay._ I said, trying to shift my sight to the magic plane in an attempt to see what was going on. Miritayen always gave a reason as to why he was doing something if I asked for it, so for something to change that, it had to be bad. As I felt the haze of magic eclipse my vision though, a strong force repelled me, snapping the world back to its usual state.

_Was that...?_ I thought, Miritayen's words quickly confirming what had crossed my mind as I was shoved away.

*Don't do that.* he scolded. *Look,* he sighed, his tone softening *There's another lord in the magic plane, and I have to help Will deal with that. They took one of Will's chosen ages ago, and I don't want the same to happen to you. So please, just stay safe while I deal with this, and don't do any magic that would draw attention to you. Alright?*

"Okay." I murmured sullenly. No matter how much of this was to keep me safe, it still felt as if I was being kept out of something, some task that I could be of assistance in, but that I was excluded from as a result of my supposed weakness.

Picking up on my thoughts, for I made no move to hide them, secretly wishing the others to know how I felt without having to reveal the fact to them myself, Miritayen sent *Teloxen, I know you feel as though this is another instance of your powers being overlooked. But the lord we face has conquered lords of our strength and higher before, and as powerful as you may be, you have not gotten quite that far yet. One day I suspect your powers will grow to surpass mine and the others, but that day is not today.*

"I guess." I sighed, reluctantly letting my magic slip into its usual shape, freed from the grasp of spells I had been prepared to cast. Turning back to my associate, I saw that Shatter still had not moved from his frozen position, the same startled and fearful expression still painted across his features.

"Are you alright?" I asked hesitantly, reaching over to tap his shoulder. The action seemed to awaken him at least partially, his gaze focusing on me.

"I don't understand." he whispered, eyes wide and searching.

"What do you not understand?" I asked, not really wanting to make things difficult by pressing him for details that would stir up painful emotions, but at the same time it could be the only opportunity I had to find out anything about what was taking place in the magic plane.

"Stevie." he sighed "He's... changed. He was scared of something, then there was pain. Lots of pain, and then he was different. Dazed. Unresponsive. And another presence is twined with his, choking out my link and keeping me from getting a picture of what's going on." Shatter flushed, looking away "I... I just want to know if he's alright. Could we get on with... with helping him? I.. I think it might make me feel better, to be able to have him here."

"I'm sorry." I said, a flash of pained emotions running through me as I considered how to put what I would now have to tell him, a task I had not even considered when Miritayen had instructed me as such. I had been too caught up in my own irritation at Miritayen's command to even consider how it would effect Shatter. His one desire right now was to help his paired lord, to get him back and make up with him for whatever had arisen between them, and I had to be the bearer of the news that we were not able to help his paired lord right now.

"We are not permitted to help Steve any further until we get word back."

"What?" gasped Shatter, his face falling. "Wh..why not?" he sniffed.

I shrugged. "I don't know. All I know is that Miritayen said there is something really dangerous in the magic plane."

"Is that what happened to Stevie?" he asked, his frown deepening and a dark aura starting to condense around him "If any creature has harmed him..." Shatter let his statement trail off there, his eyes narrowing as he thought of what he would do to the one who dared to harm the one he had sworn his life to.

"We will bring him back." I assured Shatter. Closing my eyes, I silently sent a plea out to Miritayen _Don't make a liar out of me. I've caused the pair of them enough tro__u__ble without that on top of it._

**Miritayen's POV**

_ Where is the one who has taken Steve?_I asked Will, allowing my form to dip back into the magic plane as I finished removing the traces of Destiny's magic from Herobrine, Notch and Jeb.

"You can't miss him." said Will snappily, his voice on edge simply from knowing that Texolauren was in the area. I remembered when he had lost his chosen to Texolauren all those years ago, and how badly it had effected him. The girl, Aleria, had been an Enderlord if I remembered correctly, and Will had been quite attached to her. They had been doing some mission in the magic plane and they had run into Texolauren, who even then had been on an opposing alliance to them. It had actually been Will who Texolauren had caught in his tendrils, his chosen having to stand by and watch as their lord was taken by the lord of the magic plane. She had valued Will's life over her own though, and cut a deal with Texolauren, having him reject the other lord's essence in exchange for her own. I don't think that Will ever really forgave himself for that, and what he was forced to do afterward had made things all the worse. To ensure that Texolauren could not escape from the magic plane by using Aleria as a host, he had locked the girl's physical form away, binding it in a hidden location so that no ally of Texolauren could find it. From what I knew Will was still the only one to know of the location, fearing that if any other were to know, Texolauren could possess them and use his strange powers to divine the knowledge from their mind.

I winced as I saw Steve's limp form in Texolauren's arms, his aura faded from an almost solid entity to something not quite transparent, the magic left untamed within his body struggling to keep his form while Texolauren's tendrils crept even further.

"Will." I said, attempting to draw the other lord out of his thoughts. The look of horror and panic written across his features told me that when he looked at Texolauren, it was not Steve he imagined to be laying in the other's arms. "We need to focus, alright? There may still be a chance to save this one."

"What does he do with them?" Will asked suddenly, eyes widening

"With who?" I asked, trying to keep my attention on both Will and Texolauren at the same time. The magic lord seemed to be ignoring us, caught up in his task of linking with Steve, but I knew that he was more than capable of doing other things as well. As I watched, his form shifted, slipping from a rough Crafter shape with a tail into a somewhat more reptilian one, a step closer to his true form. Two more of his tentacle tails stretched out from just under his shoulder blades and a second pair of eyes gleamed as they blinked open, a smirk coming to his lips as he stared at me.

"The ones he... takes." said Will, momentarily pausing as he attempted to find a word to describe what Texolauren did to his victims. As much as I wanted to focus on Will's words, I was distracted by Texolauren's shifting. I simply felt too vulnerable in this form, unable to keep track of things as well as I could in my true form. And with a foe like Texolauren, that was a priority.

_Oh, what the heck. It couldn't hurt._ I thought, releasing a portion of my shift magic, allowing my true form to reveal itself in part. One of my tails materialized behind me, the appendage like a fox's in appearance, but it was the other change I had been seeking. A second pair of eyes had appeared, allowing me to focus my attention clearly on both my opponent and ally.

"I don't know what he does with them." I said, remembering Will's question "Presumably discarded them. He's not exactly the nicest."

"Yeah, but that doesn't fit." said Will. Inwardly I winced. I knew that he wanted to believe that Aleria was alright, that he could somehow redeem what he felt to be one of his greatest failures, but it was almost impossible that she would be alive after all this time, even if Texolauren were to keep his victims around for that long.

Texolauren chuckled, the sound putting me even more on edge. "You would like to know where they are, wouldn't you Kuziri? She gave herself for you, and how do you repay her? The hundred chosen who lay between then and now should tell you that."

"Will, don't let them get to you." I shouted over the other's words, trying to snap him out of the state he had fallen into. Texolauren's kind might not feel pain themselves, but they sure knew how to cause it, especially emotional pain.

"You don't know what it's like though Miri." he whispered, the nickname catching me off guard. It had been a joke between us for a while, changed from the past one of Mir when Mirexal had come into the picture, one of Will's more devoted followers and Sallen's brother, who coincidentally also went by Mir. Will blankly stared off, caught up in his thoughts. "You've never felt it. There's pain at first, agony as his vile tendrils rip into you. But then the feeling fades as he reaches into you, taking over your aura, and with it all of your ability to do anything to stop him. Then everything goes quiet, like a dream, and at first you like it. You think it is so much better than what he has just put you through. But then you start to remember, and there's nothing you can do, and he taunts you with sights of the world you can no longer affect. That's why his true form has three sets of eyes you know. One for this plane, one for the material plane, and one for the one he possesses."

It hadn't really occurred to me before that Will had first hand experience of Texolauren's methods.

_We will do whatever it takes to get them back._ I sent, hesitantly laying an arm across his shoulders. Swallowing, I sent more softly _Even if it means joining with your alliance._

*But... you swore you'd never...*

_Hush, some things are more important than promises like that._ I sighed, wrapping a wing around him.

_Well, if Void and Texolauren are already teaming up._ I thought _The balance couldn't be hurt much by aligning with Will._

**Star's POV**

*Just look at them.* said Void darkly, a kind of wicked glee emanating from him as he wrapped a soft tendril of magic around my aura *And they called you out for being on my side? At least there's some logic in ours.*

_I still don't know if I've forgiven you for what happened to my lords._ I sighed, pulling my aura from where it was intertwined with Miritayen's, left over from contact earlier.

*My light, you know I did not plan that.* he sent, drawing back slightly *Zeren was acting on his own. He was chosen, I assumed he would stay within the boundaries I had discussed. But he directed things to Teloxen to deal with, and I have no control over that one.*

_I have already forgiven that one._ I sighed _He was a victim of circumstance, unaligned at the time._

_ *_Keep your eyes open my light._* _sent Void *I must go not. The searchers sent to find my chosen have all but caught up with him, and I must assist.*

_Of course my love._ I sent, feeling Void withdraw back to the Overworld.

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**A/N: So, yeah, plot twist? I hope you enjoyed. If so, please consider leaving a review. You can also leave any questions you have for me or the characters. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter! :D**


	55. Action and Reaction

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I would like to thank Loki the Endoskeleton****for reviewing this week, it really means a lot to me when you guys tell me what you think! Anyway, on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Miritayen's POV**

I squinted into the dim morning, a first attempt at scouting out the area to see if we could spot any traces of our quarry. Behind me, Rayko shifted, sending a slight wave of movement along his feathers. He had shifted their color slightly to match the reds and grays of the rocks around us, the slight dawn light still making enough shadows for us to travel covertly without the need for too much stealth. Ender had stayed back in the cave we had sheltered in, watching over the Crafters to allow them to get a bit more sleep.

Well, that was what had actually been said, but I kind of figured that Mist would be the one doing the watching while Ender got a bit more sleep herself. Even after I assured her that I would be fine keeping watch, she still did not sleep restfully, waking up partially through the night to keep watch herself, insisting that I sleep a bit myself. To be honest I hadn't minded it. But I had long abandoned the sleeping patterns typical to the Chaos kind, becoming accustomed to sleeping the normal hours of other races until an opportunity to rest longer presented itself. Ender though, was still young and needed sleep, her powers using huge amounts of energy that took time to be regained. And Enderlords typically needed more sleep than Chaos lords anyway.

"Stay alert." hissed Rayko, gaze watchful. Whispered words right now were more covert than any sending, the slight echos far less likely to be picked up be Void considering the level of influence that he had in the area. "I haven't seen sign of Israphel, but that doesn't mean he or an underling of his isn't about."

I dipped my head in agreement, pulling my magic a bit tighter around myself, hoping to conceal its intensity. Any lord who looked would have little trouble sensing me, but even a small underestimation of my power could provide a needed opening for me to get ahead.

A shadow shifted sidelong across the path before us, the movement perpendicular to that of the slow shift brought on by the rising sun. At the sight of it we froze, knowing such as thing to be sure sign of the presence of another creature, though their alliance remained unknown.

Sure enough, not a moment later a solitary zombie strode round the curve in the ravine, its shuffling steps taking it well past our hiding place. I let out a slight sigh as it did so, relieved. There could have been far worse things coming our way than one zombie seeking shelter from the sun's rays.

A bit more cautious now, for the zombie had reminded me of the dangers that could be around us at any moment, I glanced around, actively searching for places that could conceal an enemy. I stiffened as I heard a soft crunch behind me, instinctively turning to see what had caused the sound.

A mostly red block had barely entered my vision before it disintegrated, sending flames and smoke shooting out in every direction. Hastily I threw my arms up to shield my eyes, trying to pull my wings close so that they would not be damaged by the blast. I was thrown back into the wall of the ravine, landing heavily on my wings. They splayed out as I fell from the wall, trying to slow my decent to the ground. Sand blocks dislodged by the explosion rained down from above, pinning my wings to the ground.

Close by, I heard a yelp of pain from Rayko, the wing strokes of the other lord stirring up the loose sand that had been dislodged by the explosion.

"Are you alright?" he called, one arm held close to his body, blood dripping from where shards of debris had been driven into it.

"I'm stuck." I hissed, shifting slightly in an attempt to dislodge the sand from my wings. Small bursts of pain raced through my body as the burns and cuts I had got from the explosion shifted, sand falling into and irritating some of them. Rayko dipped lower, obviously intent on attempting to free me.

"Just go." I hissed, once again attempting to fling the blocks of sand off of my wings but failing, the sheer number of blocks that had fallen keeping me pinned.

"But..." he said, his worried gaze looking me over.

"Just go!" I shouted, gaze darting across the edges of the ravine to see if the one who had dropped the TNT was still present. For there was no other way that such a block could have been present in this area, especially in its lit form. With one last look over his shoulder, Rayko nodded, soaring off to go alert the others. Closing my eyes, I did my best to make it look as if I had fallen unconscious, hoping to draw out whoever had done this.

**Creeper Boss's POV**

I felt a smile of satisfaction creep across my features as the red winged lord flew off, leaving his companion trapped beneath piles of sand. Things couldn't have gone much better if we had planned the other's actions. At the sound of footsteps I turned, seeing that my undead companion had returned from the task of momentarily distracting the two lords. Zombie Boss might not be the brightest, but he was good at following directions, to the point where he would perish before giving up on carrying out a command. Granted, this made him a bit blind to his surroundings sometimes, but hey, there's a reason he was not put in charge.

*Have they been found yet?*my master asked, the sand around me gathering to form his likeness before me.

"Yes master." I hissed "One of them is trapped and wounded nearby, and the other had fled to fetch the others. All has gone as you said it would."

*Good.* he sent *You are doing well on your first mission. Do not give me reason to regret saying so. I am counting on you.* I dipped my head in acknowledgment as the sand slipped back to its normal position, my master leaving me to carry out the rest of my task. Master's lord had known that it was inevitable that the followers would catch master, so we had been tasked with getting them to the masters stronghold on our own terms rather than any of theirs. It was my first real chance to prove myself to master, and I did not want to let him down. After all, he had chosen me from the ranks of others like me, singling me out to be something different, to serve under his might. I had been his first true creation, a hybrid of creeper and chaos similar to himself, capable of my own actions, unlike Zombie Boss who existed only to follow orders given by others.

Raising a scale covered hand, I gestured for Zombie Boss to restrain the lord trapped beneath the sand. After all, if something went wrong, it was not difficult to revive the dead. I followed the undead creature from a distance, making sure everything went as expected. Little differences between reality and what was said could easily confuse Zombie Boss, making constant monitoring needed for more precise tasks.

As Zombie Boss reached the lord though, the figure stiffened, revealing the fact that they were not truly unconscious, merely attempting to make it appear as such.

_Knock 'em out. _ I sent from my vantage point W_ouldn't want them __getting away on us._ Zombie Boss grunted in acknowledgment, knocking the lord on the back of the head with the pommel of his iron sword. A smear of magic seemed to spread out from the unconscious lord afterward, his unconsciousness keeping him from maintaining a tight grasp on the powers he had sought to conceal.

"Let's get going." I hissed, leaping down from my position above the other and watching as Zombie Boss pulled our unconscious prisoner from beneath the sand "The master's waiting on us."

**Ender's POV**

My slumber was broken into by a frantic rush of magic that crashed against my own, shifting it enough to awaken me.

_This better be important._ I sent to Mist _Else the one who is doing it is going to regret the day they laid eyes on me._

*Shall I alert them of that fact?* asked Mist *Or would you rather it be a surprise?*

_Let's keep it between us until I hear what they have to say._ I sighed, taking control of mt body from Mist and stretching _We wouldn't want __them__ to go and change their story on us, now would we._ Opening my eyes, I was greeted by the sight of the two Crafters before me, the younger still sleeping with the older now watching over his child's unconscious form.

Shifting my gaze to the doorway, I was just in time to see a streak of red and gray approach before it skidded to a stop just outside the cave where we sheltered. Rayko's form shuddered slightly as he gasped for breath. He crouched down, folding his wings in order to fit through the low entrance to the cave. Sweat dripped from his forehead and several large gashes had been cut into one of his arms, the wounds scattered through with hundreds of grains of sand.

"What happened?" I gasped, identifying him as the source of the magic that had awoken me. Looking behind him to see if the other Chaos lord in our group had fallen behind, I asked "Where's Mirexal?"

"TNT, sand, trapped, captured, help!" he managed to get out in between gasps for air, eyes wide as he struggled to calm his body. Verigan handed the frantic Chaos lord one of the water bottles we had managed to acquire before moving to shake Karpath awake. Whatever it was that had happened, it was pretty clear that we were going to have to go and find Mirexal.

*Else Sallen's going to kill you.* said Mist *He's only just got his brother back, what's he going to do if you manage to loose him again.*

_Yeah, best not to think about that._ I sent, pushing the idea away _Let's focus on getting Rayko back to a coherent state._ During this conversation Rayko had managed to calm himself a bit and now sat on the floor of the cave, wings pressed against the cave wall in an attempt to center himself.

"So where is Mirexal?" I asked, trying to keep my tone as neutral as possible. Any deviation one way or the other might imply something to Rayko that could keep us from getting a straight answer.

Rayko sighed, looking away "A Creeper hybrid and a zombie dragged him off to the west. There was an explosion and he was trapped and he sent me away but I saw them before I actually left, 'cause I kind of hid on top of the cliff, wanting to make sure he was alright. I guess it didn't really work out though."

"At least we know where he is though." I pointed out, hoping to reassure the other lord "That's better than nothing, and they didn't get both of you, so there's still a chance we can get him back."

"What would a zombie and Creeper want with him anyway?" asked Verigan, walking over "Things don't really seem to add up there."

"I guess we'll deal with that when we get to it." I sighed "Until then, let's go save Mirexal."

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**A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Now for questions for the characters (and me!).**

**From ****Loki the Endoskeleton**** to me: O****kay ****I**** was going to go a round about way of saying it, but-are Star and Void sleeping together in a sense? **

**Me: ****Yes, that's pretty much what's going on. They were in a relationship before, which is why Void was so concerned with the fact that Destiny had not actually killed Star, and so they just kind of continued from there once Void ****realized**** Star was not dead.**

**S****o if you have any questions for me or the characters, you can leave them in a review or PM them to me. I hope you all have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	56. Planning or Action?

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Another long chapter, hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Mirexal's POV**

Reality came back to me slowly, like a ripple on a pond, spreading outwards from the center of my awareness until at last all sensation had returned to me.

_Brother?_ I sent hesitantly, trying to recall what had happened prior to waking up, well, wherever I was now. There had been something with another of the Chaos kind. And following someone, that I distinctly remembered, seeking them out for some reason or other.

Opening my eyes a crack, I winced at the scorching rays that seemed to pierce my eyes. Shifting in an effort to lessen the glare, I felt a flash of pain run through me as a wound of some kind, bruise or torn flesh I could not say, brushed against the hard wall I was leaned against. Its position on the back of my head seemed to suggest that it was why my recollection of events was so patchy.

Now that my eyes had somewhat adjusted to the bright light, I could better view my surroundings. I appeared to be in a small sandstone room, iron bars letting in the light from the greater complex this structure was a part of. From what I could see, the terrain seemed to form a great dish, as though a scoop had been taken from the sand and replaced with this strange cluster of buildings.

Around my wrists, iron manacles had been clamped, binding me to a short length of chain looped through a ring on the wall. Attempting to stand, I found that a similar thing had been done to my legs, keeping me from standing completely and instead forcing me to adopt a hunched posture if I attempted to do so. Caught off balance by my unsuccessful attempt to stand, I tried to regain it by flicking my wings open as usual to shift my balance. This was prevented though, by something which kept my wings bound tightly against my back.

Falling back against the wall I was chained to, I looked at the bindings that held my wings secure with a contempt filled gaze. This was unfair. All this had been done to me, yet I had no idea by who or for what reason it might have been carried out. I knew nothing that might help me out of this situation. For all I knew, this might all be a prank by the others, and with one called out word, I could end my imprisonment.

_Come on, think Mirexal, think. _I told myself, squeezing my eyes closed in an attempt to better focus. _There's got to be something you remember, anything. And once you remember one bit, the rest will come back to you._ And against all my prior expectations, something did come back to me. A mental image of Rayko, Ender, and two Crafters trekking towards me along a sand dune below where I stood, faint footprints in the sand leading to my position showing that I had gone ahead of the others. Insignificant as it seemed, the image was enough to awaken memories within me that had been forgotten because of my injuries, memories that might be essential to my escape from this prison.

**Ender's POV**

"Oh, what if they've done something terrible to him?" fretted Rayko, nervously running his hands through his long hair. His nervous pacing had begun again, outlining the edges of the cave in a slightly darker hue where the sand had been pushed down.

"Rayko, we don't just want to rush in there blind." I sighed, shifting one page out from under the others in the pile of maps that lay before me. We had thought to bring some maps from the Aether for our mission originally, since they had marked on them the locations of several larger Crafter settlements who might have been of help while we were searching for allies, but when where we found ourselves now, they were practically useless. Huge dunes now covered the land from the shift to Chaos desert, and most terrain bore no resemblance to what had been present before. Still, if I could figure out where we actually were, it might provide an idea of some of the potential spots out enemies could be.

**Oh, little looords.** a presence called, their dark aura matching that of the creature who truly controlled this area **Come out and play our gaaaameeee!**

"Show yourself!" said Verigan, taking a step back to better protect Karpath, who was still dozing.

**Oh, but why would I do that? **he chuckled **It's oh so much more fun to do it this way, with you all jumping at every shadow.**

"Why are you here Void?" spat Rayko, his worry for Mirexal now shifting to contempt.

**To offer you a challenge of course.** said Void **We've got your little friend lord, now you've got to come and try to get him back. Isn't that lovely?**

"You've sick." I snapped "Treating us all as if we're just one more thing to bargain with. Mirexal's a person."

**Well then, surely you'll try all the harder to get him back. **Void said, his presence lessening slowly as he withdrew. **Remember, we'll be waiting.**

_We can't go now. _ I said to Mist _They'll be expecting us now._

*Well, try telling that to Rayko.* said Mist *He's unquestioningly loyal to Sallen, and would do anything to help him or Mirexal.*

_Well, what do you suggest then? _I snapped.

Mist was silent for a moment before saying *I think you should go.*

_What? _I exclaimed _Do you want us to walk into a trap?_

*Here me out.* she said *Israphel is Void's chosen, and at least from what I can tell, Void's got Zeren on Nether duty for some reason or other. Anyway, regardless of the reason, Void seems to be getting all his info from Israphel right now, so he's going to know a lot about what you would do. And he knows that your first instinct would be to wait it out, presuming it to be a trap since Void is deliberately goading you. He knows Rayko will want to help, but Rayko is used to following orders. If you tell him that we're waiting, he's going to stay put regardless of his own opinions.*

_But how do you know that Void won't just see this coming. _I asked _Israphel could have told him about you y'know._

*I suspect I was mentioned, but in passing. Israphel doesn't know much about me besides the fact that I have a thing for Teloxen. And as for why he won't see it coming, well if Zeren has gotten on Void's bad side, well Void won't look to him for information, and Israphel has never seen my strategies before.*

_I sure hope you're right._ I sighed.

"What are we going to do Ender?" asked Rayko, standing as he helped Verigan to tidy away the last of our supplies. His face carried a carefully controlled level of hope, his expression neutral beyond that. He was probably expecting to be told bad news, but a small amount of him that believed otherwise refused to be hidden.

Closing my eyes, I gathered my thoughts. This was my last chance to change my decision before putting any plan into action. Opening my eyes, I let out a breath I had not even been aware I was holding, saying "We will go and find where they are holding Mirexal. The longer we wait, the more time they have to prepare, so now is the best opportunity to strike. But we must be careful. We know Israphel is backed by Void, and we simply do not have the power to stand against him if it comes to that. So we can't let it come to that. Alright?" The others nodded their consent, a look of elation written across Rayko's features. If we found that any harm had been done to Mirexal, there was no doubt in my mind that the lord before me would tear the realm apart to find the creature who had caused it and make them pay for what they had done.

**Shatter's POV**

I woke from sleep with a start, instinctively sitting up and looking about the room with wide eyes, searching for any lingering creatures from my dreams.

"You alright?" asked Teloxen, looking over blearily from his own bed "Was it... y'know, again?"

"Yeah." I said softly, looking down at the light colored sheets before me. It had been several long days since I had returned to find Steve in trouble, and still Teloxen had not heard from Miritayen that it was alright to help him again. I had been assured that things were alright by many, but somehow I could not bring myself to believe it. It might've been because of the dreams. Every night since I had returned, I had been plagued by dreams of Steve, his power stripped from him, being forced to watch some sort of combat that seemed to distress him greatly.

"You wanna talk about it?" asked Teloxen, slipping out of bed and padding over to stand beside me. His wings poked out from thin slits in his pajamas, individual feathers tangled together from sleeping on them.

"Not really." I sighed, brushing aside the hair that had fallen into my eyes as I slept. "I just want to hear back that he's alright. I didn't have a chance to tell him that I was sorry for pushing him away."

"Alright." he sighed, shaking his wings in an attempt to straighten the feathers. "I'll see if there's been any new. Miritayen might not have wanted to wake me."

_Please be alright Stevie. _I thought, plopping back down onto my pillows.

**Miritayen's POV**

*Miritayen, is everything alright?* Teloxen asked softly, momentarily distracting me.

_Now is not a great time._ I hissed, flicking my wings up in order to allow one of Texolauren's minions to dart past, missing me. Texolauren had decided not to take part in the combat himself, instead summoning his minions from deeper in the magic plane to fend Will and myself off until he had finished assimilating Steve. Until he did so, he would not be able to change the plane he was on, so he was trapped here, on the fringe of his domain. It had already been three days of combat, and we had had no success in even reaching Texolauren, much less retrieving Steve from his clutches. He had a seemingly endless supply of minions available to him, in the form of others of the parasitic race he oversaw and the lost magic demon spirits who swore alliance to him. Some were lost spirits who's paired lord had been slain by the builders, some were those who had given their paired lord to the parasites as a host so that they would never fade, and there were some, the unfortunate few, who had sworn loyalty to protect their paired lords, not knowing that the protection involved allowing one of the parasitic creatures to possess that lord. It was them I felt the worst about fighting, for it was only their oath that made them do it, the knowledge that if they were to break it, the already tragic state of their paired lord would be turned into a living nightmare.

"I don't know how much longer I can do this for." gasped Will, flicking his tail sideways to trip a spirit that had been attempting to sneak up on him. At some point he had shifted a bit closer to his true form, revealing a long serpentine tail and a pair of gray horns.

"Well, we can't just give up." I snapped "And you know, it could be worse."

"Don't say that." he hissed, gaze darting around warily "Destiny hates me enough already without tempting things."

"Where have all the creatures gone?" I asked nervously, taking a step back towards Will. Much as we disagreed, at least I knew where I stood with him.

"Don't know." he said "But... we should take advantage of this."

"Alright." I said, slightly nervous. Something didn't seem right about this. "Don't stay too close though. Something's up, and we don't want to be taken out at the same time.

Will nodded, and I stepped aside a few paces, leaving a good distance between us. Warily, we approached where Texolauren stood, the minions that had been protecting him prior now strangely absent. Steve's limp form still lay in his arms, his aura only disturbed by the soft ripple of power that flowed from Texolauren into his body.

_How do we even do this?_ I wondered, biting my lip as I stepped closer. _Texolauren seems to be lost in his own little world, but I doubt we will be able to just grab Steve and go. Even if Texolauren didn't notice, it might kill Steve if we just rip out all the strands that connect him to Texolauren, especially after Texolauren had spent three days assimilating him now._

_Hey Will._ I sent softly,still moving towards Texolauren _How are we going to do this. You know, without killing Steve._

*Leave that to me.* said Will *I can get him out. You have to keep Texo's other tentacles off of me though.*

_Alright. _I sent. It didn't make much sense to me, but if Will said he had a plan, it couldn't hurt to go along with it. Not when I had nothing better to offer in its place.

We both crept closer until only a handful of steps separated us from him. Will raised his hands palms forwards in front of him, preparing to do his part.

A low chuckle came from Texolauren, one of the last things that I wanted to hear right now.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?" he asked, a second pair of eyes blinking open to look at us, his first pair still focused on Steve.

"Yeah, I kind of hoped it would be for once." sighed Will, his tail lashing from side to side.

"Well, you should know that there's no free pass for trying to do such things." said Texolauren, running one of his tentacles down Steve's cheek "Isn't that right Balance-Keeper."

"What are you going to do?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm. It was clear that Will was not able to keep his cool with Texolauren, so I had to at least make an effort. Antagonizing would only serve to make things more difficult.

"I'm glad you ask Balance-keeper." he said, "You see, Will here had been nothing but trouble for me for quite some time now. And now that Void and myself are allied, well I have all the more reason to go against him. So that's why I'm going to do this." he raised one of his tentacles, sweeping it upwards in a great arc. As he did so, great crystal walls sprung up around me, cutting me off from the rest of the area.

"What are you doing?" I asked, letting a note of worry enter my voice.

"Ah, so sorry you have to get caught up in this." said Texolauren "But all's fair in love and war, and Will here seems to care for you quite a lot. It would be a shame if something were to … happen to you."

"Miritayen?" said Will softly, eyes silently asking for a sign that I had some way out of this. Unfortunately, there was no such thing that I could say to him, no word that would set everything right. The crystal walls around me began to draw in closer and I sighed, placing my hand against the one still surface before me.

_I failed. _I sent sadly, thinking of the promise I had made only a few days prior _I'm sorry._ I strained to feel any reply from Will, but there was none I could find before the crystalline magic sealed around me, the structure sending me deep into unconsciousness.

**Will's POV**

"Miritayen?" I said hesitantly. His sending had ended abruptly, cut off by some other force. "Are... are you alright?"

"He can't hear you." said Texolauren snidely "He's in a crystal shell. None but another of his own affinity of equal or greater strength can free him of it, and lords of balance are a bit on the scarce side, so good luck with that.

"But... why?" I whispered, placing my hand gently on the shell that had shrunk itself to make a perfect covering of Miritayen. "Miri?" I whispered, the other, sinister lord momentarily forgotten "Is what he says true?" I struggled to reach through the barrier mentally, to get any sign of acknowledgment from him, but the crystal barrier blocked all of my attempts.

"Face it Kuziri, you've lost this one. Now, run along before you mess up anyone else's life. With that, he disappeared, slipping deeper into his domain.

"I'm sorry Miri" I sniffed, leaning on the crystal surface. I was doing my best to fight back tears, but it was difficult. "I failed. I lost you and Steve. I dragged you into this, and this is what I give you in return. I am a terrible friend." Looking away, I let the tears flow. "You made a promise to me." I sniffed "A promise you would help me to find and free those Texolauren takes. You did so knowing the danger it involved and that it might disturb the balance you sought to maintain. Now it is my turn to make a promise to you. I swear that I shall never stop searching for a way to free you, for it is my actions that have trapped you. I will do whatever it takes to release you from your prison, to right the wrong that I have brought upon you." As I finished, I broke down completely, slipping to the floor before Miritayen's imprisoned form and loosing myself in my sobs.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If so, consider leaving a review, I really appreciate them. Questions for the characters can also be left in a review if you have any. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	57. Costs and Combat

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I finally managed to wrap up both lines for the most part in this chapter, which means that the next chapter will be the start of part two, the second sand war. Anyway I hope you enjoy this lovely extra long chapter! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

* * *

**Shadow's POV**

"Are you sure this is where it is coming from?" I asked illusion, walking up and down the hallways of the Aether palace.

*Yes, I just can't tell exactly where.* he said *So keep looking. There's got to be something around.*

"Alright." I sighed, "But only for a few more minutes. Then I have to get back to the others." Since what had happened with Destiny, Notch, Jeb and Herobrine had been inseparable, worried that she might come back. Taking a hint, she had made herself scarce, waiting just at the edge of my senses to see what happened. They had made me promise to come back as soon as possible, else they would have to find me for they would know that one of the strange lords who's race Destiny belonged to had caused me some trouble. Or at least that had been Notch's logic when I had spoken to him as he watched over the other two of their little group to ensure their safety as they slept.

After another couple laps of the hallways without seeing anything, I turned to leave the area, ignoring Illusion's pleas of protest. Right now, I didn't really care what was causing the "strange shifts" that Illusion could feel. I just wanted to get my family straightened out. Herobrine and Notch's combined auras were still able to mess with my senses even from here, so the weird patterns were probably from that. But Illusion refused to be convinced.

As the doors to the bridge leading to the other half of the castle came into view, I paused, unconsciously drawn to a darkened hallway that opened alongside me.

*What is it?* asked Illusion, returning his attention from his moping.

"I'm not sure." I said softly, taking a step towards the hallway. A soft splashing noise sounded as I moved, and looking down, I saw purplish liquid pooled in a dip in the stone brick, a mix of blood and the blue gel I had been told Destiny left behind with her magic's contact. "This must be where everything happened." I murmured, stepping further into the dim corridor. Towards the end of the hall, a soft sound could be heard, not enough to be understood from where I was situated, but clearly not any noise produced by the building.

_Any idea what it might be?_ I asked Illusion, refraining from using spoken words for fear the sound was made by an adversary.

*I do not know.* he said *Perhaps you should go and see. The others know to come looking for you, should your return be delayed.* Nodding in acknowledgment of his words, I walked slowly towards the source of the sound, wanting to put off a bit longer something that could turn out to be a dangerous encounter.

As I reached one room, I noticed that the door was open about half way, something impeding its attempt at remaining closed. The sound was also louder here, a kind of keening noise, a sound of pain or distress. Whatever was in here, it was not in a good state.

*Why are there no lights in here?* sent Illusion, confusion tinging his voice *Are there not supposed to be torches in every room to keep night creatures from spawning?*

_Yeah, there are._ I said slowly, pushing the door open and clicking my fingers together in an attempt to conjuror a light spell. It was something that had eluded me for a long time, an irritation that Notch delighted in pointing out whenever he was frustrated with me, light being his specialty. After a second failed attempt, I reached for a torch. As I stepped into the room, something caught my foot, causing me to almost drop the torch I held. Raising the torch as it flickered to life, I looked down to see what had tripped me. A dark, spade shaped object lay across the doorway, and looking deeper into the room, I could see that it was part of a greater whole, for it was fixed to a lighter appendage that snaked through the room, looping around it in a strange tangle.

_What is this thing?_ I asked Illusion, raising the torch higher. The torch finally lit properly as I did so, illuminating the room before me in a yellow glow that sent shadows dancing across the wall and allowing me to see what truly lay before me.

*Uh, I don't think it's a what.* sent Illusion as the light revealed the true nature of the shapes, a serpentine creature coiled protectively around a statue in the center of the room. *I think it's a who.*

**Israphel's POV**

** They have been told.** sent Void **They know of their friend's plight, and that we are the ones who have taken him from them. Now we must prepare for their next move.** His power surged around me, sending a creeping tendril of nerves down my spine as he hissed **You best not mess this up. You have seen what is done to those who fail me.**

"I shall not let you down my lord." I hissed, taking a step out onto the balcony that looked down over the fortifications where I had taken shelter. It must've been some Crafter thing at one time or other, but with the coming of the sands it had been deserted, leaving a perfect place for a stronghold after a few minor changes.

**Do as I say, and no danger of my wrath shall be upon you.** he said, tendrils of power condensing into a shadowy figure before me. **There are others I can take action against, should fate play her cards against us.**

"Do you think that is... likely?" I asked with some trepidation. I had thought Void had a plan, that he would be able to assist in stopping the ones who were following.

Void's misty shape shrugged, sending ripples through his form. **It is possible.** he said **The prophecies are unclear in their wording, as always, so there is a degree of doubt. And, well, I'll see what I can do.**

"Well, alright." I sighed, slightly disheartened by Void's response. It almost seemed as if he was expecting a failure. Well, I had to make sure that expectation did not come to pass.

**Ender's POV**

"Do you see anything?" whispered Karpath, earning a glare from his father.

"No unnecessary speaking." he hissed "If anyone sees something, then they'll tell you." We were situated above what had to be the fortress Israphel had fled to. Void's presence hung around it so strongly that I could feel it clearly even with my presence drawn in as far as I could manage. I was sure he knew we were here, there was no way he could have missed our trek though the desert, especially considering that they had captured Mirexal. And if Void knew, then Israphel knew, which would make him all the more dangerous a foe.

"Can't we just go find him?" asked Rayko, his whispered words filled with the desire he had to help his friend."

"It couldn't hurt." I said, shrugging slightly "I'm pretty sure he knows we're here anyway, so might as well find our ally before we get caught up in combat." Verigan looked like he wanted to protest, but said nothing, turning away to look down over the edge of the bowl shaped Crafter where the fortress was sprawled.

"What's up?" I asked, reaching over to tap his shoulder.

"What? Oh, it's nothing." he murmured, averting his gaze.

*Now that's clearly not true.* said Mist, earning a spooked look from Verigan.

_Really, Mist?_ I sighed in annoyance _You just had to be a part of this._

"Did you hear that?" Verigan asked hesitantly, looking around nervously.

"Yes." I sighed "So don't freak out. Meet Mist."

*Hullo.* she sent *I'm a magic spirit lord who lives with Ender.*

"Uh...okay." he replied, still looking nervous despite the reassurance.

"So what was putting you off?" I pressed, glancing over my shoulder to where Rayko and Karpath were searching along the edge of the precipice for a safe way down.

"It doesn't matter." he sighed "You're in charge, so you get the final say."

"Friend, I don't think you understand." I said "We are not on one of your Crafter battle excursions. Every voice counts here, so if you have a concern, I would prefer to address it now. That way we don't accidentally do something that could have been easily avoided."

"Alright." he said at last "I just don't think it is a good idea to simply walk into a fortress like this. Especially if he knows we're coming. That just means he's had time to prepare for when we show up."

"What do you suggest?" I asked. Verigan was a Crafter guard, so presumably he had more experience with situations like this, sizing up a fortification to find its weak points.

"Well, since he knows we are coming, we've got to do something unexpected." he said "What's the last thing that he would expect you to do?"

"Split up." I said, biting my lip in thought "But that would just weaken our group. Unless..." The last few pieces of the puzzle fell into place, a plan straightening itself out. "Hey, Rayko." I called softly, not wanting to alert an observant guards that might be just below in the fortress of our exact location.

"What's up?" he asked, looking over, one wing protectively stretched in front of Karpath as the young Crafter looked over the precipice.

"Got an idea." I said "But you're not going to like it." I laid out my idea, and as I did so, Rayko's hope filled expression fell, replaced by one of reluctant acceptance.

"You're right, I don't like it." he sighed "But it seems like it would work, so I guess I shouldn't protest."

"You take Karpath with you." said Verigan "He'll be safer since their attention will be directed elsewhere."

"Alright." nodded Rayko "I guess we're doing this."

"If not now, then never." I sighed, looking down at the compound "We've got one shot at this, so don't mess up."

*Now, those are words of encouragement.* snickered Mist *Are you going to say that you'll give them a reason to retreat if they try to back off?*

_Shut it Mist. _I hissed _This is serious._

_ *_Eh, you've seen one mission, you've see them all._* s_he said *Some just end better than others.*

**Israphel's POV**

"Master, there is a disturbance at the main gate." a Creeper hissed, bowing low before the throne I had situated myself in.

"Creeper Boss, take the troops to deal with this disturbance." I said to the hybrid who stood next to my throne.

"Yes, master." he hissed, bowing before turning to lead the other Creeper out.

"The lords have reached the stronghold my lord." I said, leaning back and closing my eyes.

**Patience.** said Void **You still must heal while you can. But stay on guard. Their kind are nothing if not tricky.** I felt Void's power pour into the sand around me, and raising a hand slightly I called it to myself, situating it around my injuries, in hopes of speeding up the healing or at least lending strength to the more damaged areas of my body.

"Come on little lords." I smirked, leaning back "We're waiting."

**Verigan's POV**

I peeked out from behind a pillar on the outskirts of the fortress where I stood watching the confused monster troops stare at the collapsed gate. Ender had used some power to pull the structure down, weakening the support until it all tumbled down.

*On my mark.* I heard her say, her words reaching me soundlessly in a way I did not understand and doubted I would ever be comfortable with. *Three... two... one... now!* At her words, I lept from my hiding place, blade raised as I ran for the collapsed gateway, a haphazard yet climbable pathway leading up to it and into the fortress. To my right, I glimpsed Ender doing the same, her path much more direct as she scaled the ruin in a handful of flaps. The monsters looked up in shock as she did so, a moment of confusion before the archers among them remembered that a winged target was not a problem. As she landed among them, drawing their attention, I jumped down, landing clumsily but picking myself up in time to slice through several zombies that had begun to stumble towards me.

_Careful Verigan._ I reminded myself _No need to take any unnecessary risks. Just stay safe and keep them distracted so the others can do their thing._ Taking a step back into the action, I stabbed a Creeper, taking a running leap forwards ad I saw that there was no way to sly it before it exploded. The blast propelled me forward into a zombie, leaving the undead creature stunned for long enough that I was able to run it through with my blade. Looking back, I saw that the Creeper blast had managed to take out a significant amount of the monster troops. Maybe this was the way to do things.

**Mirexal's POV**

Sighing, I leaned against the dusty wall of my cell, the chains that bound me shifting uncomfortably at my movement. No matter what position I tried to remain in, one bond or another would manage to chafe or bind in a painful manner, keeping me uncomfortable no matter what. If they insisted on keeping me as their prisoner, the least that they could do was make it a bit more comfortable.

"Hey, Mirexal, pst, over here." a voice hissed from above. Looking up in confusion, I felt a light shower of particles fall down on me as one of the overhead blocks was removed, leaving a gap in the formally pristine sandstone roof. Through the gap, I was surprised to see Rayko and Karpath, the Crafter seated on Rayko's back and peering over his shoulder.

"You came to get me." I said weakly, the relief I felt overwhelming me. I was no longer in danger of coming face to face with Void at any moment, something that I had feared for some time now.

"Of course." he whispered, dropping stealthily through the hole and reaching for my bonds, a diamond pickaxe held in his hands. A few moments later, the bonds were broken and I felt my powers release from where they had been restrained by runes etched into the chain.

"Now, let's go." hissed Rayko, stowing his pickaxe and reaching up to pull himself through the hole in the ceiling.

"Where are the others?" I asked, looking over the rooftops as I pulled myself up. There appeared to be no others in sight, yet if they had not been a part of this, then why had Rayko brought Karpath along.

"Making a distraction so the guards would be drawn away." said Rayko "Come on, we've got to get a bit further from here before I can contact them." Stretching my wings, I nodded, glad to be able to feel the breeze in my feathers again.

**Shadow's POV**

"Hello?" I said softly as I took a step into the room, trying not to step on any part of the great serpent that filled most of the room. "Who are you and why have you decided to come here?"

**Go away Enderlord.** the creature hissed, their tone distressed **My failure is something that must be mourned alone.**

"Will?" I said hesitantly, not sure if I was correct in my identification of the other lord. I had thought I felt traces of the other lord's presence before, but it was different here than it had been in the Overworld, much stronger and filled with ancient power.

**What is it Enderlord?** the great serpent sighed, tear crusted eyes blinking open to stare at me **What matter is so pressing that you must disturb my mourning to speak of it?**

"What are you mourning anyway?" I asked. He closed his eyes, letting out another long sigh.

**So, you still do not know. I had thought you would be able to feel the shift, but it seems I was mistaken. And the other reason I would not have expected you to hear of anyway. I have failed in my task, and your brother has been lost to the dark creature Texolauren, as my chosen was long ago.**

"What?" I gasped, not able to comprehend what he was telling me, or more likely, not wishing to believe the words I heard were true and so misunderstanding them. "But Miritayen was helping him." I said in disbelief "That's what Teloxen said."

Will nodded. **Yes, Miri was helping, but so was I. We were trying to save him to free him from a fate I almost had fall on me. But we underestimated Texolauren. He caught Miritayen in a crystal prison, and I can't free him.**

"Wait, so Miritayen is..."

**Yes, this statue here.** said Will **And I have sworn to do whatever I can to protect him and free him.**

"Okay." I said "I guess... I'll be going now." I still could not quite believe that such a thing had happened to Steve. My own brother... taken, lost to a creature of another plane.

**I shall be here if you are in need of me.**

Slowly, I made my way back to the main palace, still in a partial state of shock.

*Are you alright?* asked Illusion hesitantly.

_I don't know._ I whispered. Suddenly, a felt a cry of dismay from Shatter run through me, an audible one from Cresilia matching it.

"What's going on?" I asked, my pace increasing a bit to reach the source of the outcry. "What's going on?" I asked again, seeing Cresilia seated on the edge of the bed in the room I entered, Shatter racing in from another room with wide eyes. "What happened?"

"Stevie... he... he seemed to be alright for a moment, but then he looked at me, and his eyes, they were wrong. And then he just vanished." Cresilia managed to gasp this out before she broke down completely, sobs shaking her body and tears streaming down her face.

**Texolauren has what he wants now.** sent Will, catching me off guard with his melancholy tone. **He has found a host for himself in your brother, and now can free himself from the magic plane. You must be ready for when he returns.**

_Steve, why._ I sighed, stepping from the room where Shatter was trying to calm Cresilia. _Why does all this stuff always happen to you._

**Israphel's POV**

*Master, there is something strange about this attack.* hissed Creeper Boss *The one who was with the prisoner, he is not among the attackers. There are only two that I have seen, a winged girl and a Crafter male.*

_Thank you for the information._ I sent back _You have proved yourself to be most useful. I hope you continue to do so._ Breaking the connection, I rested my head on my hand in thought. Why were there so few lords here. If they had some to retrieve their friend, surely they would have all come. Unless... Closing my eyes, I grabbed my bow and teleported myself to the prison. It wouldn't hurt to check on the prisoner, and if my suspicions were correct, it might prove to be quite advantageous.

**Ender's POV**

*Alright, you're all good to come now.* sent Rayko, momentarily distracting me from combat.

_ That's good._ I sent, sweeping my sword through the legs of an archer who had been trying to riddle me with arrows. _There are boat loads of mobs here, and they just don't stop coming._ Flicking my wings open, I lept into the air, landing just outside of the range of Verigan's blade. I didn't want him to mistake me for an opponent after all.

"Teleport time." I called, and the Crafter nodded, sheathing his blade and leaping forwards, grabbing hold of my tail as I phased to a new location.

"That went well." said Rayko, Mirexal leaning slightly on him for support.

"Did you really think that it would be that easy?" hissed a voice. Looking over, I saw a figure climbing the ladder to the roof, a dark aura handing around them. Reaching the top, they pulled out a weapon unlike any I had ever seen. It was made to be used mainly like a bow, but the limbs had been sharpened and tempered, making in clear that they could also be used as blades.

"Israphel." I said "So you decide to show yourself."

"Yes Ender." he said "I do. And you will forever regret the day that you decided to take on this mission." With that, he quickly fired an arrow at our group, causing us to scatter. It didn't hit anyone, but the effect was enough to disrupt our group.

_Ideas, Mist?_ I asked.

*Hmm, well, he's clearly channeling Void's power so don't try magic dueling against him. As for getting rid of him, well how's your sealing spells?*

_What are you suggesting. _I asked, leaping aside to dodge another fired arrow and lunging at Israphel, managing to nick his ribs with my blade. But the wound seemed to do nothing to him, dark power simply filling the space where the wound was made.

*Well, some Crafter who built this place made accents out of obsidian, and most of those archways are the perfect size for a nether portal. You get where I'm going with this?*

_Yep._ I sent, racing not towards Israphel, but to the obsidian framework a few blocks from where he stood.

"Here goes." I whispered, clicking my fingers to light the frame and murmuring the words I had learned for a seal spell. I had scarcely finished when a blade smashed into the obsidian just above my head, Israphel's bow blade making flakes fall from the tough material.

"Get him in the portal guys." I called to the others, noting that Mirexal still seemed to be having some trouble moving around and Rayko had several arrows sticking out of his wings.

"Ah-ha!" cried Israphel, clasping Karpath by the front of his shirt and leering at him. "My first victim." his blade slashed across the Crafter's face and Karpath screamed, his unconscious flinch before the blow hit the only thing that saved him.

"Leave my son alone!" bellowed Verigan, abandoning his blade to tackle Israphel, intent on doing anything to keep him from Karpath. The motion sent Israphel careening into the portal, but not before he grabbed Verigan, pulling him along with him.

"I'm sorry my son." he called, reaching out to his child even as his body was draw into the portal. "I will always love you." And then he was gone, swallowed by the portal.

"Father!" cried Karpath, trying to launch himself into the portal after them. Mirexal managed to grab the child, pulling him back as Rayko destroyed the portal, sealing Israphel in the Nether.

"We did it." I said softly, the fact only now occurring to me.

*Yes* said Mist *But at what cost?*

_Let us think of that later._ I sighed, feeling exhaustion pulling me towards unconsciousness. _For now, let's worry about getting home._

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Also, I'm sure some of you have questions for me or any of the characters, so feel free to leave those in a review as well, or PM them to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter! Bye! :D**


	58. The Second Sand War

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. So, yeah welcome to part two of this story, I'm kind of hoping it's not quite as long as the first, but we'll see. On with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Part II: The Second Sand War**

_**100 years later**_

**Shatter's POV**

_100 years, has it really been that long now?_ I thought, letting out a sigh as I looked down at the preparations the Crafters were making for their celebration of the hundredth anniversary of the end of the Chaos summer. The situation in the Overworld had calmed considerably after Israphel had been banished to the Nether, taking Void with him since he had been channeling so much of that lord's power at the time. Without any Chaos power to sustain it, the sand had stopped its spread, and capable mages had forced it back, reclaiming many lost biomes.

The wall that had been constructed by many cities to stop the flow were linked, creating a great barrier between the inhabited lands and what remained of the Chaos desert. I had done my best to repair the damage that had been done to the Overworld, but without Stevie, things just weren't right. The realm responded to him in a way that I could not duplicate, so without him, things happened only of their own accord. And so as changes of good and ill occurred with no one for them to turn to, stories of there ever being a Crafter lord began to fade. Some still clung to their belief that Steve would return, that the one who had ruled their race was the one who had created it. But most turned away from Steve, finding comfort in Notch's promises or taking up leadership themselves. Notch may have had pure intentions when he first helped the Crafters after Israphel's defeat, bringing them aid in the form of water and supplies, but their constant attention and later worship had influenced the older lord's actions and sentiments. He no longer felt the need to contradict their thanks for this or that when it was Steve who was responsible, instead finding it easier and less heartwarming to claim credit himself.

Herobrine had been changed by what had happened to Steve as well, growing more distant and refusing contact with almost anyone. He had already lost his realm, with little chance of having it returned to him with the Chaos lords based there and Israphel being trapped there, and now fate had screwed him over again, stealing away the brother he had always tried to protect from things like this, from the disasters that had plagued him since childhood. Sure, Shadow and Notch were affected by what had happened to Steve, but they had realms and people of their own to distract themselves from the loss. Even I had distractions, though they were not always effective in keeping my thoughts from the loss. Amelia was Herobrine's only solace, his love for her helping to dull the loss. Even so, he would not stay with her for more than a month or so at a time, fearing that any further contact might lead to her being snatched away as well. The rest of the time, he wandered the Overworld, unable to be found for extended periods of time. His brothers worried about him, fearing that the depressed state he had fallen into might lead him to take more drastic measures to end his unhappiness. I did not think he would go that far, if only because he held within himself the hope that he somehow might be able to get Steve back from Texolauren's clutches.

_I should suggest he talk with Will next time I see him._ I thought, stepping back off the balcony and closing the door behind me. Will had been hit as hard by those events 100 years ago as any of the Realmkind. He had become a permanent resident of Notch's palace, the room where Miritayen's trapped form stood his dwelling place save for when he had to get food.

I turned towards the stairs as I heard a loud crash below, unconsciously reaching out to see if there was some intruder in the castle. Sensing nothing that immediately jumped out to me, I decided to go search for the source of the sound. Stepping off the stairs though, it was clear what had caused it. Cresilia sat crouched in the middle of the floor, a shattered picture frame before her.

"Cresilia?" I said softly, taking a step towards her "Are you alright?"

"Oh, Shatter, I didn't see you there." she said, looking up and brushing away tears that had been trickling down her face "Yes, I'm fine."

"What happened?" I asked.

"Oh, it's silly." she laughed, her light tone partially masking the tired, upset sobs that still shook her body. "I was just missing Stevie, and I was bringing one of our pictures upstairs and tripped. I'm so clumsy sometimes." she reached down and attempted to sweep the broken glass into a pile. A shard dug into her hand and she winced, bright scarlet sport staining the translucent shards.

"Cresilia, come on, let's get you cleaned up." I said, taking her other arms by the elbow and helping her rise. "We can clean this up after."

"Al...alright." she sniffed, walking towards the bathroom. Turning to follow her, something caught my eye, a slight breeze disturbing a paper caught beneath the glass shards. Reaching down, I picked it up, shaking off the glass that clung to it and smoothing out the slight crease. It was the picture Cresilia had dropped, the image showing her and Steve asleep on the couch, the two of them cuddling. Turning it over, I read the short message written there.

_Hey, thought you might like to have a copy of this. Hero was going to use it as blackmail, but I dealt with that. Stay safe little brother. -__Shadow._

Carefully tucking the picture away, I walked to the bathroom where Cresilia had gone to watch up. When I got there though, that was not what she was doing. Cresilia sat on a small chair next to the sink, knees pulled up to her chest and tears streaming down her face.

"Stevie?" she whispered as I entered, her tear streaked expression hopeful.

"No, just me." I sighed, my tail unconsciously freeing itself from where it had been looped around my waist. As time had passed and I spent more time in a physical form, my magic demon traits had begun to emerge. So I had ended up with a tail and a small pair of horns that gradually grew longer. I knew that Cresilia had been quite relieved by this fact, the differences, helping her to remember that I was not Steve. It had been a while since it happened, but in her upset state it had been her instinct, to hope that by some miracle her Steve had come home.

"I found this." I said, offering her the picture. She took it as I examined her injured hand, reaching for a cloth to wipe away the blood.

"Thank you shatter." she said, wiping away tears "Stevie was lucky to have you watching over him."

"Is lucky." I corrected, noticing her halfhearted gaze even as I said so "We will get him back Cresilia. That I promise you."

"Alright." she murmured, sounding unconvinced. Turning away, I sighed. Cresilia still wished for Steve to return in her heart, but seemed to deny any assurance that he ever would.

"Come on, let's find something to eat." I said, deciding it was best to just drop the topic until I had a more concrete way to make her believe. I harbored no doubts that Steve was alive though. Our link may have been choked off to almost nothing, but I could still feel where his presence met mine, his aura just enough to complete the empty space in mine. And then there were the dreams. The dreams of Stevie. They came in countless forms, but all shared one thing. In them, Stevie was along and called out for me, and just before I reached him, I would awaken.

_Hold on Stevie._ I thought, closing my eyes _I have not given up on you. Not now, not ever._

**Steve's POV**

"Why do you show me these things?" I cried, covering my eyes in an effort to hide the view of the world I had been taken from.

"You said there would be no more pain."

**I said there would be no new pain**. said Texolauren** This is just part of those things which you had already brought upon yourself. And anyway, you are a different case little lord. I need a form, and if the cost of it is a bit of your pain, well that's something I can deal with.**

Closing my eyes, I squeezed my hands over my ears, trying to block out Texolauren. But even in my own mind, I was not safe. Texolauren had directly connected my presence to his, trapping me in a pocket of his mind. I had seen the place where my body was held though his eyes, a part of Texolauren's realm that contained a pocket of material plane. In it, a system of complex pipes and hoses fed magic tinged liquid into a large tank. Submerged in it was my body, a palm sized hole cut just below my breast bone and ringed with some kind of enchanted metal. I had seen what Texolauren used it for once before, and it horrified me. His half tangible form had approached my body, and upon touching the ring with one outstretched tentacle, his aura had flowed into my body, taking it as his own. I had been plunged into darkness at that point, since my physical form only had one pair of eyes unlike Texolauren's three. But I could sense Texolauren's elation at having a body of his own.

**Do not get used to the silence little lord.** said Texolauren **Soon, there will be much for us to do.**

"Go away." I murmured, trying to use a trick I had learned to keep Shatter away when I was younger, expanding a bubble of magic around myself to keep out external influences. Texolauren popped it effortlessly though, laughing at my attempt.

**There is no point in trying to resist little lord. **Texolauren called **You are mine, now and for all time.**

**Void's POV**

"Please, my lord, allow me a second chance." said Zeren, bowing low before my shadowy form.

**You have brought harm to Star's lords.**I said **What have you done to atone for that fact?**

"I summoned you to ask what I may do." said Zeren "I do not wish to do something and have it end poorly, making my standing with you worse."

**A wise decision.** I murmured **Very well. I shall think on the subject. But for now, I must deal with Israphel. His time to return soon approaches, and he must be prepared with knowledge of what has changed.**

"But surly he has failed you prior." Zeren said "At least so far as his ejection from the Overworld is concerned"

**Israphel did nothing to shame himself in my eyes. **I hissed **You would do well to remember that. All that was done was at my say, and he followed my words flawlessly. Something you would do well to learn from. Fate's prophecies are what deemed defeat necessary, and it is rare for a prophecy that brings defeat to offer a second chance to those who were overthrown. So unless you wish to endanger your fragile standing, I suggest you declare this meeting over. **Since Zeren had summoned me, I was not able to leave until being dismissed or physically breaking my way out of the circle. And much as I wished to do other things right now, Zeren had not fallen out of my graces so far that I would destroy the circle, something that would greatly damage him and his magic. It had taken him long enough to recover after his last injuries, caused when Will had teleported Sallen out of the Nether. He still bore the scars from that event, the real reason he had been confined to the Nether for so long. I would not say that to him though, knowing it would damage his pride more than believing that he was not in my good graces.

"I am done for now my lord, you are freed." he said, rubbing out one of the runes before him and breaking the circle.

**Stay safe my chosen.** I sent before teleporting away. The fact that I was a lord of extreme Chaos didn't mean I couldn't look out for my own.

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**A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so consider leaving a review or questions for the characters. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	59. The Prophecy Continues

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Yay, we're over 2,000 views for this story. I was wondering if any of you had suggestions for things you would like to see added to or improved in this series (other than the time pacing, I'm working on that :P ) On with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast**

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**Mirexal's POV**

"Brother, I do not think this is a good idea." I hissed, glancing out of the corner of my eye at the individuals watching us. We had come to this little tavern on some instinct of Sallen's, and insistence that we simply must be here at all costs. And there was a great deal of risk involved with this, considering that the Crafter kind still had no love for our kind. If we were discovered, it would not matter that we had helped facilitate Israphel's banishment. All that would matter would be the fact we were Chaos kind.

"Relax Mir." he said, drumming his fingers absentmindedly against the table. He gazed out across the sea of individuals that filled the tavern, the clamor of dishes and conversations continuous even now, at this late hour. "The one we seek will be here, Will was certain of it. And it is rare for him to be willing to admit an event's certainty."

"Why couldn't Will come himself then?" I murmured, pulling my magenta cloak around me in the hopes it would block out some of the suspicious glances that were being directed towards us.

"You know very well that Will is involved with another matter at this time." said Sallen icily, eyes narrowing beneath his dark blue hood.

"Who are we even waiting for then?" I asked, shifting the bowl in front of me in hopes that another angle would reveal some leftover scrap of food.

"Will said we would know them when we saw them." Sallen said cryptically, taking in the sight of the crowd and seeking out any unusual patterns.

The heavy wooden door to the establishment swung open, a gust of cold wind bringing with it a spattering of rain and setting the torches guttering. The flickering lights illuminated a short, bearded figure, uncertainty written across his features as he made his way through the throng.

"Could that be him?" I asked softly, not wishing to alert any observers to our possible interest. Israphel and Void may have been trapped in the Nether, but that did not mean their agents were trapped along with them.

"Possibly." Sallen replied, closing his eyes "Give me a sec."

Several minutes passed and an air of concentration formed around Sallen, the air dimming as magic condensed around him from whatever perception spell he was using. Bored with his lack of feedback, I watched the being who had entered with some curiosity, noting how the Crafters seemed to look at him with as much disdain as they did to the magekind. He in turn seemed wary of those watching him, jumping at every unexpected movement. Compared to the Crafters who stood around him, it was clear he was not one of their kind, despite the resemblance.

"He is the one we seek." said Sallen, eyes illuminated with bright magic as they blinked open.

"Who is he?" I asked.

"A dwarven outcast." said Sallen "Sent away from his home for daring to think beyond the world their people saw as their own. Will says he is important to the prophecy, and Teloxen agrees with him."

"What do we need to do?" I asked "Surely we are not here merely for the purpose of observing."

"No, we are here for a purpose." said Sallen, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. "This is a fate locked point. What happens here will happen whether it is desired or not. We are merely a piece in the puzzle, trying to shift the path a bit towards our way, for though things are certain, the exact circumstances will change future events in different ways."

"So we wait?" I asked, trying to decipher Sallen's meaning from the jumble of phrases. He wasn't the most clear person when trying to explain things, but he made an effort.

"Yes." he nodded, eyes fixed on the dwarf. "An opportunity will present itself when it is needed, all we must do is wait and seize it when it does arrive."

It had been scarcely half an hour when a clamor erupted at the bar, snapping me from the light sleep I had fallen into. I glared at Sallen's amused expression, resenting his silent judgment. It was hardly my fault that I needed sleep, now was it. The disruption at the bar had been caused by the dwarf it seemed, for he now stood before a giant of a man, looming over the smaller being like an Enderman overlooking a silverfish.

"What'cha looking at, shorty?" the man sneered, glaring down at the smaller being who had inadvertently intruded upon his space.

"I'm a dwarf of Khaz Modan." he replied, face falling slightly as something seemed to occur to him "Or at least I was. Either way, I've got the right to look at whatever I please." As if to prove his point, the dwarf fixed his gaze intently on staring him down.

"Well, this'll be interested." I snickered, leaning back slightly to see the conflict more clearly. Sallen sighed.

"Why do you find such delight in combat?" he asked. Ignoring him, I attempted to observe the fighters through the rapidly growing crowd. And indeed, it had become a fight, the Crafter not taking kindly to being stood up to by anyone, let alone a creature of another race who was a third his size.

"You might've had free reign in you little cave, shorty." the man grunted, swinging a heavy fist at the dwarf "But here, as you'll soon learn, its us Crafters who call the shots." The dwarf managed to dodge the punch, but only barely, having to throw himself back against the rough planks of the bar to do so, which of course left him with no place to go to avoid the next attack. The fight went on for a few more minutes like that, the large Crafter being able to keep the smaller creature at bay simply because of his longer arms. The dwarf managed to land a few hits on the Crafter, surprisingly hard considering his size, but it was not enough, and it was soon clear that despite his efforts, he was no match for his larger opponent.

"I've seen enough of this." murmured Sallen, standing and stepping towards the fight. The crowd parted around him as he moved, instinctively shying away from his magic.

"Who do you think you are?" the large Crafter asked, leering at Sallen.

"A person who thinks that you should stop this fight." said Sallen, meeting the man's eyes with an unflinching gaze. Strands of his magic lay draped around his arms and across his shoulders, his robe and hood illuminated by their dark blue hue. A touch of green Chaos magic wrapped itself around him, illuminating the runes stitched into his robes. The Crafters around the conflict had backed off, sensing that something was off about him, even though there were no physical signs. By this time now, his magic had condensed enough to be visible to even non-magic users, making Sallen appear as quite the adversary.

"Why do you think I would do that?" the man asked, though much of his former bravado had gone from his voice.

"Because it gives you nothing." said Sallen, lacing his words with a trace of Chaos "Now are we done?" It took a minute, but the Crafter nodded, taking a step back from where the dwarf had been huddled against the bar in an attempt to shelter from part of the damage. "You should come with us." said Sallen to the dazed dwarf "Those ones are not the kindest to those who are different."

He looked up with some surprise, contemplation and concern marking his features. "How do I know that you won't just do the same?" he asked "You magekind are said to be tricksters, why should I believe differently about you?"

"Eh, well that's your choice." said Sallen, shrugging slightly "Either way, let us continue this discussion outside. There is something I wish to say before you go on your way."

"Wait!" the dwarf called, following Sallen at a light run as he turned away, calling me to follow with a brief sending. "How did you know I wasn't staying here."

"Come with us and we will tell you." said Sallen cryptically. I followed the two of them from the tavern into the dim street, lit only by the few torches on the outside of buildings, barely enough to detour mob spawning.

"So who are ya?" the dwarf asked, surprisingly intimidating despite his stature, hands firmly crossed in irritation."  
"I am Sallen, and this is Mirexal. And you?"

"Honeydew, of Khaz Modan." he said, his stance softening a bit when Sallen was so forthright with his response. "So what was so important that you had to drag me out here?" he asked, looking up at Sallen.

"We heard that someone different might be in the area, and we were told to tell them to take the path by the lake rather than the one that crosses the high ridge."

"Okay." Honeydew replied, a skeptical expression on his face "And why should I do that? You could just be setting me up."

"Well, we're not, Mage's honor. And as for it being out of the way, well we can compensate you for that." Sallen produced several gold bars and other gems, and the dwarf's eyes lit up at the sight.

"Well, I suppose it wouldn't be too much trouble." he said, snatching the valuables away and stowing them safely away. "I'll be off tomorrow, soon as I get my supplies."

"Fair travels." said Sallen, dipping his head.

**Herobrine's POV**

"Why do they have to lurk near my forest?" I murmured, sitting up slightly and rubbing the sleep from my eyes. It had been a couple days since I had sensed Chaos lords in the nearby town, and yet the Chaos whispers that had come with them still remained, remnants of their power that I had the misfortune of being able to detect better than most others.

_Well, it's not like you're going to get much more sleep anyway. _I thought with a sigh, slipping down from my nest in the treetops to land on the ground with scarcely a sound. With the risk of accidentally burning everything down by using my powers, stealth had become my main weapon, along with several diamond tools I had made from the scraps of my old diamond armor. Drawing my main blade, a short sword I had spent many days imbuing with enchantments, I strode through the silent forest, silently daring a mob to cross my path. But wisely, they knew to stay out of my way, and it was not long before I reached the edge of a rise. Beyond another stretch of trees, I could see a mostly empty field, the grass shifting to sand as it stretched towards the lake. Even now, headed towards spring as it was, the lake had some ice on it. The reminder of the cold made me pull my cloak closer, allowing a bit of my magic to trace the runes I had carefully sketched on it, heating the lining. I had gotten better about the cold since coming here, but it still bothered me greatly, trying to steal my powers away from me. And that was something I feared above almost anything else.

I was snapped from my thoughts by a bright light in a place there should have been no stars, something that struck me as strange. Sheathing my sword, I climbed the tree that obstructed my vision, squinting in an attempt to figure out what the strange light was. It seemed to be getting larger.

_Or closer._ The though occurred to me and I quickly jumped from the tree, running in the opposite direction. There were few things I would run from, but it's not like you can fight something falling from the sky. The object hit only moments later, the shock wave throwing me to the ground.

Picking myself up, I winced at the long gash that ran down my left arm, caused by a protruding rock as I fell. Holding it close, I turned to run back towards the site of the impact, wanting to know what had happened. Before, if things had not changed, I would have just teleported there, or plane shifted. But now, without Steve to stabilize things, I dared not, for fear I would harm the realm.

Returning to my earlier vantage point, I gasped, immediately spotting what had caused the impact. A huge spacecraft was sinking into the lake, flames dancing atop the top section and sections folding and collapsing under the pressure as it sank. This was clearly not a ship that had ever been intended to land, presumably constructed in space.

"I've got to check of survivors." I murmured, closing my eyes in an effort to recall my knowledge of spaceships. There wasn't much, just a handful of lectures from Shadow from when we were younger, still looking at realms of others to find a model for our own before we decided to just go for ir. But rescuing anyone would involve coming face to face with my two greatest fears, being trapped under water, and freezing to death. Opening myself, I sensed a single, terrified presence somewhere within the ship, the rest an erie nothingness, devoid of life.

Reaching the shore, I paused, pulling off my cloak and most of my outer garments, save my pants and a thin, close fitting shirt. The last thing I wanted was anything weighing me down or for something to catch on the shifting metal frame. Dropping my tools save my pickaxe and a small dagger, I tool a deep breath before jumping into the freezing water, wanting to get it over with. My magic reacted violently to the contact, power wrapped around me so abundantly that it was visible, the orange hue penetrating the darkness of the water, a fact that I was thankful for. Holding my breath, I entered the ship, struggling to keep my panic contained as I swam through the shifting wreck, eyes wide for any sign of the survivor. It took a few panic filled minutes, but at last I found them. Taking in the pressure suit they wore, it was clear why they had survived the crash. But it had been ruptured, and the air they had was quickly running out.

_I hope this doesn't break things, but I'm not swimming back through that._ I thought, closing my eyes and teleporting out. Once safe on the shore, I quickly used my powers to dry the water that clung to me, donning my cloths before turning to help the survivor. I would be no help if I froze to death. Pulling off the clunky headpiece, I then unzipped the waterlogged suit, relieved that the man contained within was wearing something underneath it. Pulling it off of him completely, I dried the water that still coated his shivering form, noting with some surprise his strange aura. It was similar to the Aetherkind's, but different, filled with a magic I recognized from a time long past, but could not place.

"What am I going to do with you?" I sighed, looking over the unconscious man. "You can't stay with me, bad things happen to those who do that." The sound of someone descending the path made me look up, my sensitive eyes able to see the short creature even from this distance. Hoping the darkness would conceal me, I picked up the survivor, placing him where he could not be missed by someone coming down the path. "I will be watching you." I said before darting back into the forest, concealing myself in the brush, but not before wrapping a tendril of magic around the survivor's waist. It wouldn't do for him to freeze after all.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed. If so, consider leaving a review or questions for the characters if you have any. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	60. Regrouping and Watching

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I would like to thank ****Corruption-Virus ****for reviewing this week. I would still love to hear from you guys if you have any suggestions for things you would like to see, or even if you just want to share what you think so far. On with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel, or the Yogscast.**

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**Israphel's POV**

"This is annoying." I hissed, leaning back against the wall of Zeren's room as I waited for the other lord to appear. "Why do I need to spend time with him. He still sees me as a subordinate even through I have surpassed him in power."

*You are both my chosen.* said Void firmly, shadows flowing from the edges of the room to condense into a loosely formed shape before me. *I want you two to be able to interact without causing trouble. And that means that you've got to work out this conflict between you.*

"Tch, like that's going to happen." I sneered, crossing my arms tightly across my chest.

*Look, I can't make you two get along.* snapped Void *But can you at least make an effort? I'm not asking you to be besties, just have a simple conversation without shouting. Is that really too much to ask?*

"I guess I can try." I grumbled, looking away from the shadowy shape before me.

*Thank you.* said Void *After that though, call for me. We must discuss what shall occur when we are at last free from this accursed realm. That Firelord's wards still bite at my power, and I have no way to escape from their touch. They obviously were not intended to deal with a situation where the one they seek to repel is trapped within their borders.*

"As you say, my lord." I murmured, dipping my head and watching as the shadows dispersed. As his presence faded, I felt Zeren approach the room where I was situated.

_Well, I guess I'll get this over with._ I sighed, standing and waiting for the other lord to show themselves. _After all, he's sure to understand. Void probably talked to him. Right?_

**Herobrine's POV**

_This one, where did he come from._ I wondered, squinting through the branches of the tree I was perched in. The person I had rescued from the sinking craft a few days previously had joined company with the dwarf who stumbled upon him, and the two of them had set up a camp not far from the lake where the one I had saved had nearly drowned that night. He had settled quite nicely considering that he seemed to remember almost nothing of what had happened in his life prior to the crash. Or at leas that was what he told Honeydew, his new friend, perhaps not wanting to complicate things. Xephos, as he had decided his name must be, based on the various insignia and names printed on his uniform, was quick and eager to learn everything that his dwarven friend had to teach him.

However, it wasn't all good times and new experienced for him. The first time a mob attacked him, it was all I could do to keep from wiping the creature off the face of the realm. For some reason, I felt a strong inclination to protect Xephos, something I had not felt in a long time, since Steve was much younger. A time when he was not yet able to look out for himself, and so we had to help with that task. Sure, like any kid I had resented it at the time, wanting to so my own thing instead of watching my little brother, but that changed when actual danger had arisen. And like then, seeing Xephos in danger had made me want to do anything to keep him safe. It just felt right, like it was my duty to do so.

Looking away from where the two of them were planting saplings, leftovers from the trees they had pillaged for materials earlier in the day, I spotted a green creature partially concealed by the low hanging branches of another tree. Its black eyes shone in delight as it looked upon what it thought to be two unsuspecting victims, too wrapped up in their own actions to notice the threat that was concealed only a dozen or so blocks from their position.

"Oh, no you don't." I hissed, silently slipping down the tree boughs that lay between me and the ground, doing my best to leave the branches as still as possible. Some movement could be described away as a breeze or the tree shifting, but any larger movement was sure to cause a disturbance. And as much as I wanted to protect him, I did not wish to reveal my presence to Xephos and Honeydew. It would lead to too many questions, questions that I did not wish to answer. And then there was always the possibility that the Crafter tales of my terrible acts had been shared with the dwarves, especially given the smaller species' enjoyment of rumors. The last thing I wished I to happen would be for my identity to be revealed to the pair of them, only for the dwarf to attempt to slay me. No, it was better if I stayed an observer, working behind the scenes to keep them safe.

Making my way quietly towards the Creeper, I conjured a teleport spell above my palm, all the while trying to walk on as few patches of snow as possible. It wasn't as bad here, under the trees, as it was in some places, but there was still enough accumulation that it made stealthy movement of any variety difficult. Finally reaching the Creeper, I dropped the teleport spell on it, sending it two hundred or so blocks from where I stood. It wasn't so far that the Creeper wouldn't be able to return to its family if it had one, just far enough that it would be inconvenient to return and think of harming the ones I watched over.

"Hey, Honeydew, what's this?" called Xephos, bending down to examine something I couldn't quite see from where I was situated. Shifting slightly, I glimpsed what had drawn his attention. A single footprint was clearly visible in the snow, a careless footstep that had left a perfect print in the powdery accumulation.

_Are you kidding me?_ I thought, putting my head in my hands. _Of all the things..._

"Did you make this?" Xephos asked him as Honeydew walked over, looking slightly confused.

"You think my feet are big enough to make that?" the dwarf scoffed "It was probably just a zombie. Those dumb thing are always around, that is until the sun roasts the things." The dwarf grinned at this image, turning to return to the small resource mine that they had begun recently.

"I guess you're right, friend." said Xephos, taking one last look into the woods before turning away to follow his friend.

_That was close._ I thought, letting out a breath _Too close. I've got to be more careful in the future. That Xephos, he's bright, and he knows more than he's letting on. I'm sure of it._

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. You can also leave questions for me or the characters in a review or PM them to me. So anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	61. Conversing and Consoling

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. So, I was going to try to write a nice and happy chapter, but then Saturday's Mianite stream happened, and the happiness is kind of gone. So, yeah, on with the chapter, and beware the feels.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel, or the Yogscast**

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**Herobrine's POV**

"I wonder when they'll be back?" I murmured, taking a sidelong look down the small mine that Honeydew and Xephos had constructed. They had left the previous day, seeking better materials to make tools out of, and I had thought it wise to stay behind, figuring that the small, enclosed space of the mine would allow for far too many opportunities to stumble upon my presence, even if I was hidden by my invisibility. Even so, I felt a degree of worry for allowing them to go on their own. Even if they had not known it, I had remained near to them since they had met, watching over them and sheltering them from the worst of the dangers that arose.

"It'll be fine." I murmured, tracing the slightly indented runes I had carved into an alcove in the wall. The symbols were not a true spell, for I feared that one or the other of the pair might be able to detect the magic's presence. Rather, they were a wish of good fortune, a kind of blessing that I hoped would let fate shine favorably on them, hopefully diminishing the bad luck that my contusions presence was bound to eventually bring.

"Well, I might as well take this opportunity to go and get some supplies." I sighed, turning away from the mine entrance. It had been a while now since I had eaten a full meal, and longer still since I had a good night sleep. Hopefully this would allow me an opportunity to get both.

Closing my eyes, I warped to a spot overlooking the town. It might pose a slight risk, but nothing had happened the last time, so I figured the saved time was worth it. Pulling out a forest colored cloak from my pack, I draped it over my shoulders, pulling up the hood to conceal my eyes. Hopefully it would be enough to hide the glow they produced. Finishing with this, I walked down the hill, entering the small town. It was one of several that I had located in the surrounding area, the furthest from the camp I watched out of the ones I knew about. I hoped it was far enough from the larger town the Chaos lords had visited to keep the few remaining Chaos whispers from disturbing me.

_Just one night._ I thought, keeping my gaze directed downwards as I passed the first of the village inhabitants. _They will be alright for one night._ As I made my way towards the inn, I allowed my awareness to open slightly, enough to let me read the presences of those in my immediate surroundings. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be any magic users in the immediate area.

As the inn came into view though, a large structure made of logs and wooden planks that looked more like a barn than anything else, I felt a very familiar presence nearby, one I wished to keep near me always, but dared not to, for fear that some harm might come to her as a result of it. Amelia.

*Hero, is that you?* she sent hesitantly.

_Yes, my love._ I sent _I did not know you were here. If I had, I would have arrived more expediently, for I have to return to my lookout by tomorrow afternoon._

*Alright Hero.* she said, her tone neutral, as if she were hiding something.

_Is something wrong?_ I asked, tracing the spot where her rune was present on my arm. The mark usually glowed when she was seeking me out, but maybe I had somehow missed it. _Have you been trying to get a hold of me?_

*No, I had been planning on going out to look for you tomorrow. Look, we just need to talk*

_Uh, sure, what do you want to say?_

*This is something that needs to be said in person Hero* she said *I will meet you in my room in the inn. Ask for me at the front.*

_Alright, I guess._ I said hesitantly, wondering why she was so reluctant to speak when we were not face to face. _Maybe she just misses me. _ I thought uneasily, trying to sooth my nerves with plausible excuses. _Yeah, that could be it. But she shall have to wait for a few minutes, because I'm not doing anything before I get something to eat._

Stepping into the loud atmosphere of the inn after so long in the relative silence of the snowy forest was jarring to say the least. The low buzz of conversation filled the room, punctuated by the shouts of servers filling orders and the occasional clang of dishware. It took a few minutes, but at last I managed to get a dish of food, a thin but flavorful soup, and as many rolls as I could fit in the bowl without it overflowing. It was nothing amazing, but after weeks of stale bread and dried meat, pretty much anything tasted nice.

Finishing my meal, I left the dishes near the kitchen and strode towards the desk where the manager sat, surveying the scene before him to ensure that no rules were being violated.

"Um, Amelia said she'd be expecting me." I said, suddenly overcome by a slight wave of worry as my attention went back to her.

"Yeah, she did say sumptin 'bout that." the man said, scratching his chin "She was a sweet one. She's in room eight, if ya want to go see her."

Nodding in acknowledgment, because frankly I wasn't really sure what else to do after hearing his passive compliments of Amelia, I turned and went down the narrow hallway to the specified room.

"Amelia?" I said softly, knocking on the door. "Can I, uh, come in?"

"Yes Hero, come in now." I heard her call from the other side of the door. Pushing it open, I stepped inside, gaze wandering slightly until it landed on Amelia.

"So why did you need to talk to me in person?" I asked, standing next to where she was seated and draping an arm across her shoulders.

"Hero, stop." she said, scooting her chair away from the desk and twisting out from under my arm. "This is what I needed to talk to you about."

"You don't like it when I touch you?" I said in confusion "You could have just said that you know."

"No Hero, that's not why I called you here." she said.

"Then why?" I asked.

"Hero, look, there's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to get it out there. Hero, I know we've been together for a while now, but we've gotten no further in all this time. Taking things slow is one thing, but this is something else entirely."

"What are you saying, Amelia?" I asked softly.

"I'm saying I can't keep doing this Hero. We may live long lives, but mine is nothing when compared in length to yours, and I can't keep putting off my life because you're not ready for this."

"But, what, Amalia, why now?" My mind was struggling to keep up with this, not wanting to accept what she was saying as true.

"I won't lie to you, Hero." she said, eyes flashing downwards for a moment "I met someone. A wonderful man who I love deeply."  
"So you're replacing me." I snapped, the words coming out much more harshly than I had intended. Before she could respond, I looked away, gaze dropping and raising a hand to stop her reply. "I'm not mad." I said, working to keep my tone even. "It just... caught me off guard. If this is what it takes to make you happy, I will not be the one to take it from you."

"Thank you Hero." she said, standing and pushing the chair back to its rightful place beneath the table.

"I hope you and your new friend do well together." I said, doing my best to hold things together as I left the room.

_How easy is it. _I sighed _To loose everything that is so dear to you. Well, if this trip had shown me nothing else, it has pointed me to my next course of action._ Leaving the inn, I stepped to the side of the road, closing my eyes and opening myself to my brother's link, seeking out the portals to his realm. When I found the nearest one, I warped to it, the bright glow illuminating the shallow cave where it had been placed.

"I hope you can help me." I sighed, stepping into the portal and allowing it to transport me to another realm.

**Notch's POV**

I felt a light ripple as someone used one of the portals to enter my realm. Closing my eyes, I reached out, intent on discovering who it was. The portals to my realm were supposed to be secure, either warded from unknown beings or guarded by the Valkyrie. My worry diminished though, when it was easily apparent who had entered the realm.

*I need to talk to you realmlord* he sent *It is urgent.*

_What's with the formalities, Herobrine?_ I sent, more worried about why he was acting like this than anything else. _ You know you never have to act like that with me. Is something the matter?_

*Nothing important.* he sighed. The way he said it told me that it was indeed something, and something quite big to have caused him this much mental pain. To the outside observer, he might seem fine, but I could tell that something had really hurt him.

_Come right up Herobrine. _I sent _Just give me a minute or two to set something up._ He acknowledged my sending with a soft touch against my magic and I stood, stretching my wings and exiting the room. Several doors down was my bedroom, and knowing Herobrine, if he was as upset as I figured he was, he would want blankets. The soft coverings comforted him, wrapping him in a warm embrace that reminded him of everything he associated with safety and shelter. Herobrine was one of those individuals who never actually cried visibly, instead keeping his thoughts and feelings inside until he can let them out safely without damaging his appearance.

A soft teleporting sound came from the hallway and Herobrine stepped in, eyes downcast and with a slow step that seemed to embody all his pent up confusion and sadness. I could feel the emotions pushing against my aura, our link strengthened by proximity from what it had been previously.

"Realmlord." he said softly, dipping his head "Are we unobserved?"

"Yes." I nodded, and Herobrine let out a sigh of relied, the false half-smile he had been wearing previously becoming a clearly upset expression. Seating himself on my bed, he pulled the blankets up and around himself, looping one over his head so that only half of his face was visible out from under the soft cloth.

"What happened?" I asked, sitting on the end of the bed beside Herobrine. "You haven't done this in a long time."

"Amelia broke up with me." he murmured, eyes glowing brightly with distress "She said she was tired of waiting and in the meantime she had met someone else."

"Oh. I'm sorry Herobrine." I sighed, lying back and laying a wing across his back.

"I really loved her." he murmured, leaning forwards and burring his face in the blankets.

"Did you come because you needed someone to listen?" I asked, careful to keep my tone kind so Herobrine would not think I was judging him. He could turn violent quickly in situations like this if not dealt with carefully. "Or was there something else."

"A request." he whispered, meeting my gaze hesitantly "I would like for you to give respawn to the ones I watch over, if that is possible."

Letting out a sigh, I said "Herobrine, you know I haven't perfected that yet."

"But it won't hurt them to have it, even if it does not work to its full extent yet." he said "Please, its all I have left now, this task I have set upon myself."

"Alright." I sighed, pulling my upset brother into my arms and resting my head against his shoulder. "But just this time."

"Thank you." he murmured softly, his last words before he drifted off in my arms.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed. If so, please consider leaving a review or questions for the characters. I hope you have a great day and shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	62. Revealed and Respawn

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. So I wrote half of this over the week, and half of it since Saturday's Mianite stream, so if you notice a shift its because of the MASSIVE FEELS that were present during that. I mean, I though last week was bad, but this went from one of the happiest, cutest things ever to just flat out sadness, to the point it almost was sadder than the first season finale. So yeah, on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel, or the Yogscast.**

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**Steve's POV**

The uneasy sleep I had finally managed to fall into was snapped to pieces by a sharp prod from Texolauren's magic, the more powerful lord swamping me with his presence as his attention turned to me.

**Little lord, what must be done to open a gateway to the nether realm?** he asked, his forceful sending making my thoughts swim.

"Why must you know?" I asked weakly, struggling to pull together the few shreds of magic that still obeyed me, to form any kind of barrier between me and my oppressor.

**That is not a concern of yours.** he said patiently, as if speaking to a small child who just can't grasp a concept. ** All I need to know, is how to build one.**

"I will not tell you." I whispered, pulling my knees close to my chest and wrapping my arms around them "Not when it might hurt my family."

**You have no choice in this.** said Texolauren **Or have you forgotten. You are mine completely, to do with what I wish.**

"I won't." I whispered, closing my eyes in an effort to shut him out.

**You bring this upon yourself then.** he said **Don't say I didn't give you a chance.** A lightning flash of pain arced through me, the energy clinging tight to my magic and disrupting my hold on it. Slight tears came to my eyes, misty wisps of aura that left darker patches of color against the vibrant hue of Texolauren's magic below me. **Tell me!** insisted Texolauren, a manifestation of his form materializing before me. **You know,** he said, one of his tentacles grasping my chin with the smaller tentacles that tipped it, raising my unwilling gaze to meet his **If you just tell me, this can end. You won't have to feel any more pain so long as you cooperate. And if you're really good, I might take you to see your family again. Wouldn't that be nice?**

"I won't." I whimpered, shuddering as another pulse of pain ran through my fragile body.

**Texo,** a soft, feminine voice called **What are you doing?**

** What does it look like? **he snapped, releasing me to turn towards the source of the voice **And you know I do not appreciate being called that, most of all by you. We're allies in this whole thing, not best friends forever.**

** Fine, oh great Texolauren, overseer of the magic plane, what has this little spirit done that you believe to be worth this much of your time?**

** It is not a spirit, as you know, and this little lord refuses to reveal how to create a Nether portal.**

** Why do you need one?** the female asked **I can just make you one you know. Its really easy, just a bit of obsidian and a flame spell.**

** Not a regular one. **he said, flicking his tentacle tails in irritation **A planar bypass one. You know, so we can get Void out of the Nether. But this one here, no, he feels that his family is worth more than his own health.**

** Ah, so its that one. **she said, her form finally emerging from the haze filled edge of the hemisphere I was trapped within. **I had forgotten Void gave him to you. Last time I saw him, he was crashing into your realm-plane on a wave of out of control magic. Its surprising he survived actually.**

"Star?" I whispered, finally placing the voice I had thought to be so familiar. "What are you doing here?"

**What do you mean?** She said, striding over to stand before me. I let out a little cry of pain as the movement required to keep her in my field of vision worsened the magic induced pain within me.

"You helped me." I sniffed, blinking away the pain induced tears that had formed "You brought me back to my family. You saved me from my sadness. So why are you helping him?" as I spoke I did my best to gesture at Texolauren, but my pain wrapped limbs hardly responded. Star laughed, her voice echoing off the bare walls of the room.

**Stevie, there is such a thing as being too trusting.** she said, reaching down to help me to my feet. Taking her hand, I tried to stand, but as I had just about gotten my feet under me, the grip on my hand released, sending me sprawling back to the ground. A torrent of pain ran through me at the sudden collision and movement, but not incapacitating me so much that I could not hear Star's next words. **Like I said, too trusting. Hate to break it to you Stevie dear, but I was never really on your side. It was all a plan to lure you out, to get you in a place where Texolauren could strike.**

Her words stung far worse than Texolauren's magic induced pain, cutting deep and setting a fresh wave of tears flowing. Sobbing, I closed my eyes, curling into as small a position as I could manage and wishing for it all to end.

**Come along Star. **said Texolauren **Lets leave this one to his pain. You can full me in on what Void's next move is to be.**

** Patience. **she said **Before I tell you, there is business I must attend to in the Overworld. **With that, she left and Texolauren's attention was once again diverted elsewhere.

**Herobrine's POV**

Wakefulness returned to me slowly, something that I had not experienced recently. Usually sleep left me all too quickly, the freezing temperature of the biome stealing away the warmth that clung to me. A warmth beside me was also unexpected, but I didn't question it in my semi-conscious state, instead just snuggling closer to the warmth. An airy laugh sounded from behind me and I flinched, startled into wakefulness. Pushing myself up slightly, I tried to turn over to find the source of the sound, but I found my motion halted by an arm pressed across my side.

"No Hero, it's alright, I didn't mean to startle you." Notch said, removing his arm and brushing his hair out of his eyes "It's just been so long since I was actually able to be here for you when you needed me, and I wanted to let it last a little longer. That and it looked like you needed the rest."

"Why are you here anyway?" I asked sleepily, rubbing away sleep from my eyes "Don't you need to run the Aether or something?"

"It can wait." he said "Right now, it's more important that I know you're okay. You were really upset when you fell asleep, and I didn't want you to wake up and be alone."

"Thank you." I murmured, trying to keep away the sleepiness that was threatening to envelope me again.

"You don't have to leave you know." said Notch, noticing my tired expression. "You are free to stay, and I can stay too, if you need me to."

"No, I've got to get back." I yawned, my eyes barely able to remain open as my body fought to keep me here, intent on making up for all the sleep I had lost while watching over Xephos.

"They will be fine without you for a bit." said Notch "You stay here and get a bit more sleep, and I will put the respawn spell on them. Then you can watch them with less fear of immediate danger. And I'll be sure to come back before you awaken. Alright?"

"Mkay." I murmured, allowing my body its victory in the battle to let me sleep and snuggling down into the blankets as I dipped into unconsciousness.

**XxXxXxX**

It seemed to be only a few moments later, but when I opened my eyes again, the sleepy haze had gone from the world, making everything much clearer. Notch sat on the edge of the bed, comparing a chart to a diagram sketched on a much smaller sheet, and as I stirred he turned, his gaze softening.

"Feeling better?" he asked, his concern splashed across his wings in bright hues.

"Yeah." I said, smiling softly. Things may not have been going great for me lately, but at least Notch was not out to get me.

"You'll be happy to know that the ones you watch over are alright." he said, setting the papers he held on a side table and standing, arms raised and wings fluttering slightly as he stretched "'Least the ones I gave respawn to are. I'm pretty sure I got the right ones, given the amount of your magic hanging about. I had a question though, and don't take this the wrong way, but um, where exactly did you find Xephos? His aura is quite... unusual."

"I know." I said, standing and making an effort to drape the blankets back over the bed in some semblance of order. "As for where he's from, well, I don't know the exact details, but I rescued him from a spacecraft crash, which should tell you something about where he originated."

"Oh." Notch said, looking startled "Well, I don't want to keep you, as you seemed quite eager to get back earlier. Can you promise me one thing though?"

"Possibly." I said "What would that thing be?" Notch bit his lip, looking away slightly.

"Just... just don't stay away so long next time. It doesn't do either of us any good to be apart for so long. I don't think it's a coincidence that the day you came back was the first in ages I haven't had a problem with my magic."

"I'll try." I said "But until then, I must go. Those two cause enough havoc when I'm there to sort things out, so I don't want to think about the damage they could do otherwise."

"Alright." said Notch, turning away and picking up his papers "Be safe, Herobrine"

"You too." I said as he walked away, watching him leave before turning and heading back to the portal. An hour or so later I had made my way back to the camp Xephos and Honeydew had made, only to discover no sign of either.

_I wonder where they are?_ I though, slightly concerned _They could still be mining, but I thought they would be back by now._ Expanding my senses, I detected the two of them, but not below ground like I had anticipated. Rather the two of them were a short distance away out on the ice, their exact position obscured by a copse of trees.

_I am not going to enjoy this. _I thought, taking a hesitant step out onto the ice. When I was not suddenly dumped into the freezing water I pushed onwards, wanting to get to a less exposed area. As my venture onto the ice let me see past the trees though, I froze, not really believing what I was seeing. Built on a spot that jutted out partially onto the ice was a pyramid, looking very out of place in the frozen landscape. Its was crowned with several gold blocks, and just in front of the entryway I saw Xephos and Honeydew, silhouetted in the glow of the lava that filled much of the floor level of the pyramid.

"What is this?" I murmured, moving slowly towards the cover of a tress on a tiny island between myself and the pyramid. Honeydew seemed to be focusing intently on something within the pyramid before taking a running leap in, onto one of the blocks that poked out of the lava. Xephos hung back nervously, pacing back and forth before the entrance.

Everything turned for the worse in a moment though, when Honeydew attempted the next jump and didn't quite stick the landing. He toppled back into the lava, letting out a scream. Xephos froze, panic shooting through his aura to saturate it completely. A second passed, then Xephos jerked forward in what could have been seen as a jump, but instead of landing on a block he plopped directly into the lava, a terrifying shriek coming from him to match his friend's. A second second passed though, and Honeydew's form disappeared, sending a scattering of items across the lava and raised tiles. The same happened to Xephos a second after that, his disappearance differing only in that he was close enough to an edge to start to drag himself from the molten liquid, burns spreading across his skin and a look of utter panic present on his features.

_I hope Notch's magic worked. _I thought, squeezing my eyes closed in an effort to remove the image of Xephos's terrified expression from my mind._ Else I don't think I'm going to recover from this._ Hesitantly I reached out to the nearby area, dearly wishing to feel their presence. To my relief, I sensed them nearby, a hundred blocks or so from their camp. It seemed that the respawn had dumped them at the nearest world spawn, one of the connection points for return trips from the End.

Teleporting over, it was all I could do to keep myself from revealing myself there and then, that's how relieved I was to see the two of them alive. They seemed to be surprised at the sudden return, but not as much as I expected.

_Alright._ I sighed, relieved that the sudden incident had not been fatal. _ I can get through this. At least I won't have to worry as much for them now._ As the sun sank I watched the duo trek back towards the pyramid, ready for another attempt to conquer it.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed. If so, consider leaving a review or questions for the characters. I also would love to hear any prompt ideas you guys might have for one shots. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter! Bye! :D**


	63. Encounter and Plotting

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I would like to thank ****Zelda48 ****for reviewing this week. On with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast**

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**Herobrine's POV**

Closing my eyes, I settled into the leafy bed I had constructed for myself in one of the treetops near Xephos and Honeydew's camp. Even now though, the images of their fiery demise haunted me, painting a morbid picture across my mind whenever careful thoughts accidentally strayed to them.

The two of them, emboldened by their miraculous survival at the pyramid the first time around, had dared to return to the structure. They had tried and perished several times in an effort to cross the lava parkour before deciding that it would be far easier to cross the boiling liquid if they had buckets of water to put themselves out with, should they fall in. This had led them on a cave exploration trip, which while it did not contain much mining, did leave them with enough supplies for a bucket each after they stumbled upon a dungeon. Elated by their find, they had returned to the pyramid, where at last Honeydew had managed to reach the other side. Alas, nothing was found in the chests save a few mundane organics and several miscellaneous blocks, hardly worth the time they had put into seeking them.

Several other incidents had come up between now and then, including a shaft concealed beneath their flooring, only discovered because Honeydew lit their home ablaze, and a TNT trap triggered by opening the back door. The two of them had thought the events and findings odd, but continued along cheerily each day regardless. They had once again gone digging for ores, leaving me above ground once more with a plethora of questions I was unlikely to have answered any time soon. One or two odd things might be explained away as insignificant, but all these things, the pyramid, the TNT, the shaft and the strange tree that had grown before their dwelling shortly after they settled, no a pattern like that suggested there was something bigger going on here. And with my track record when it came to luck, it was sure to be of the more negative variety.

_Don't think of that now._ I thought sleepily, trying to divert my attention from the concerning matters that plagued me. _Just sleep. You need to rest if you are going to figure this out._

A shift in the environment around me alerted me to the fact that something was off with my surroundings, though no matching sensation was felt in the magic plane. Whatever was near, it was able to conceal its presence from me well enough to be completely undetectable by the senses I usually relied upon, the faintest hint of trouble from other sources the only warning I had.

Keeping still, I opened my eyes a crack in an attempt to glimpse whatever it was, hoping desperately that the glow of my eyes would not alert it to my awareness.

**Ha, how cute. **a voice said from behind me, and it was all I could do to force my body to lie still at the sound of it, still attempting to convey the appearance of sleep. **You think your little charade will keep me from noticing your awareness to this all. Truth is though, you're not fooling anyone. Even after all this time, you're still an unlucky looser who cant keep their emotions together. **Her words stung, but I was more distracted by attempting to figure out why they seemed so familiar. I could swear I had come across them before, but no name or face came to mind when I searched for traces in my memories.

**Poor Herobrine, can't figure out what's right in front of him. **she taunted, grabbing my shoulder and flipping me onto my back. **Does this look familiar?**

Squinting, I tried to make out what had been sketched in the air with magic, but I was distracted by looking my assaulter over. They weren't much to look at, literally. Their form simply consisted of a rough Crafter shaped cloud of golden fog, pulsating slightly from magic shifts in the area. The thing sketched in the air brought back memories when I finally figured out what it was. A star shaped rune, seemingly made of a single ribbon twisted in an intricate pattern. The pieces fell together as I saw it, the identity of the one who had disturbed me finally clear.

"You're Star?" I asked, still not completely certain about my conclusion. It seemed to fit though, that this was the lord who had guarded Steve as he made his way back from wherever he had been hidden. The rune matched at least, but then again, another could have been watching, so that was no guarantee.

**I am. **she said, her form solidifying slightly **And you think yourself clever for figuring that out, I am sure.**

Deciding just this once to let the insult pass, I asked, "Why are you here exactly?" There was something odd about this, something that didn't match up with what I had come to expect. If she had some kind of news, why not go to Sallen or Jeb, or even Teloxen if she wanted a middle ground. There wasn't really any reason for one of the higher lords to seek me out specifically, was there?

**Ha, I fo****r****got you did not know of the... true alliances. It was your brother I told, and seeing as he took it in such a delightful manner, I do not mind a second telling.**

"What are you talking about?" I asked, my uneasiness multiplying. Standing carefully, I grabbed a nearby branch for support. Sure, I was able to fly, but if a stray gust of wind knocked me off, I would hit the ground long before I could pull together enough concentration to fly.

A sudden thought struck me and I reached out my senses towards where Honeydew and Xephos were supposed to be, worried about their safety. If Star had been able to sneak up on me like this, there was a chance something more sinister had sought them out. Or perhaps both forces were one and the same, and she had visited them prior, to do whatever good or ill she brought.

I let out a sigh of relief as I detected their presences right where I expected, deep below the surface in their strip mine.

**Oh, don't worry.** Star said lightly, waving her hand dismissively **Right now at least, I've got better things to do that stop your charges from mining resources. Anyway, there's not really a lot I can do to them any more, is there? Not after your ever so annoying brother blessed them with his protection.** Utterly shocked by the seeming ease with which she had been able to see my thoughts, I threw up barriers about my conscious, drawing myself in behind the shields in an effort to conceal my thoughts from her. She seemed amused at this, small tendrils of her power reaching out to examine the recently constructed defenses. **I am offended that you think I am so easily repelled.** she said lightly, her magic slipping through some unseen gap to twine with my power. Unconsciously I flinched at the unwelcome magic, the sensation of my most personal space being trespassed upon driving my body to try to escape. **But I digress. On the subject of ****alliances****, I shall tell you what I told your ****ensnared**** brother. You lot are all too trusting, and it's going to come back and bite you. Or rather, it already ****has come back to do so.**

Her words were lost to me after her first phrase, the implications of what she said making me take a step back. "You..." I swallowed, eyes wide "You've... seen Stevie? Is he alright?"

Star sighed. **See, this ****is what I mean. You have completely ignored my other words, despite what they imply. So let me spell this out for you. Your Steve, he was taken by Texolauren, as you know. ****Texolauren took him as his host as payment for allying with Void, a lord who you are acquainted with I believe, and who is quite close to my heart. I would like nothing better than to see his plan come together so that we may be reunited once again. Does that give you a better idea of how things are around here right now?**

Her condescending tone made it apparent she though most of this was laughably obvious, that any child should have been able to figure it out.

_Well, if she's an enemy._ I thought _Then there's no reason I shouldn't do this._ I grabbed my sword from where it was secured at my waist, surrounding the blade in a wreath of flames as I slashed it downwards through Star's form. Unfortunately, she didn't seem to be completely materialized and the blade simply went straight through, the flames quenched by the overwhelming concentration of her magic within her form's boundaries.

**Now, that was not wise.** Star said, her tone darkening **I merely came to give warning, yet you dare to attack me. I would choose your next move carefully. After all, you have seen how easily I am able to effect your charges.**

"All those things, the danger they were in, that was you?" I gasped, trying to reign in the growing furry within me. If her threats were genuine, then any bursts of outrage might mean serious harm for Honeydew and Xephos. And if she wanted, I was sure Star could easily break through Notch's respawn spells.

**They were. **she said **Now, I would keep that in mind, should I show up in your area again.** With that, her form dissolved, leaving me wide eyed alone in the tree tops.

_Oh, for stars, what have I gotten myself involved with._ I sighed, warily reaching out to the surrounding area to ensure that no other lords were around. When I felt none, I checked to ensure my charges were still below ground before entering their dwelling. It might take hours, but it was my duty to them to ensure that they were safe, and that no more of Star's traps remained within the boundaries of their home.

**Star's POV**

*I hope you know what you're doing.* said Void, the small amount of magic he was able to control in this realm right now slipping from where it had been mixed with mine. It had become easier in the long run to simply allow Void to witness my actions through my own eyes, rather than attempting to recount the details afterward, but it wasn't always the best when he didn't agree with my methodology.

_Relax, this is how the plan was set up._ I assured him, secretly amused. It was rare fro Void to devote so much attention to any one thing, even when it was drastically important. It was just a part of his chaotic nature to act that way, but it could be very annoying it you had to work with him for any reason.

*And that's another thing.* he continued *Why do we need a plan? Surely it would be better to just do things as they are needed.*

_Not this time._ I said _They would be expecting that, since they know you use Chaos magic and act in chaotic ways. And anyway, its the only way to appease Texolauren, and you know as well as I do that there is as much chance as ice in the Nether of getting you out without his help. The bonds Ender put on you __are intertwined deeply with the Nether's realm magic, and the only way to undo them without bringing the realm crashing down around you and causing more problems is something known only to Texolauren. He's told me what must be done to prepare, but he trusts us about as much as we trust him, so he has insisted on actually carrying out the final piece himself, an insurance policy if you will._

_ *_How very clever of him._* _snickered Void *But anyway, where does all of this connect with you nearly telling Herobrine what our plans are. Think carefully, for even when trapped I can still cause trouble for you, and should you betray me I shall simply pull this realm down around me, regardless of the cost. At that point, I would have already lost too much for the loss of my chosen to be regretted.*

_Calm down, I'm not going to betray you._ I sighed _You see, to get you out we need his magic, for he is the realm's true lord, regardless of the sway Zeren holds over it. But once you are out, we don't want you immediately trapped again. So we need another conflict amongst the realmkind to divert their attention. And that's where the bit of your magic I borrowed comes in._

*I hope for your sake this works.* sighed Void *Else I won't be there to deal with Texolauren when this thing comes together.*

_Don't worry my love,_ I sighed _We'll get through this._

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Any questions for me or the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. I would also love some one shot ideas, if anyone has those. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	64. Mistakes and Traps

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I would like to ****thank ****Corruption-Virus ****for reviewing this week. On with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Shadow's POV**

_Maybe I should take a trip to the Overworld soon. _I thought, resting my arms behind my head and staring up at the blank ceiling above my desk.

*Maybe* said Illusion *You can't keep running away from what happened forever you know. Its been one hundred years, you need to move past grieving for your brother.*

_Wow, you're quick to assume that is the reason I haven't been back._ I thought snappily _I've just been busy._

_ *_You always say that,_* _he argued *But that doesn't mean your actually okay.*

_Look, I don't need you telling me how to live my life._ I snapped _Now, just go away or something, I'm going to find Lani._ Almost immediately, I felt a flash of hurt from Illusion, who was clearly upset by my words.

Feeling a bit bad but telling myself I shouldn't, after all he was in the wrong here, I went to look for Lani. She and I had become close in the time after what had happened in the Aether, when I had made my way to my own realm immediately afterward, just wanting to be alone. I had failed the one who depended most upon me, who I had sworn to guard when I left home, and I could not face the others. I might have dared to enter the Overworld to see how they fared after a time, had it not been for the chance of running into Shatter. Not only was he a visual reminder of my failure, but during the few times I had seen him after what had happened my mind had been overwhelmed with a drive to pin the blame on him for what happened, to shove away at least a portion of the guilt that haunted me. Lani helped to lessen my unhappiness, to allow me to forget, at least for a time, the enormous guilt that existed within me.

*What you two have, it's called a relationship. You should try mentioning that to her and yourself when you decide to stop lying to yourself.* Illusion sent in a flat, uninterested tone, the words similar to ones I had heard many times before. Ignoring him, I reached out to where I could sense Lani nearby and hesitantly looped a strand of magic around hers. Feeling the bond between us spring into existence almost immediately, compared to when I had first done it years ago, when our link was a tiny strand of connection that took forever to form.

*It's your connection to her, oh great self-liar.* said Illusion *The closer you get, the stronger it its. Like Herobrine and Notch's, except with romance.*

_You know, I don't think __of her in that way._ I sighed, smiling at Lani's start of fright before she realized who had linked with her magic. She was always so sweet in everything she did, even little things like that.

*Tch, yeah, keep telling yourself that.* sighed Illusion *You may be able to lie to yourself, but your denial doesn't work on me. Face it, you are smitten with her, and she likes you back. But she's too afraid to confront you about it because she doesn't want to make things awkward if you don't feel the same way.*

_Did Mirage tell you that? _I snapped _Have you and her been trying to get me to ask Lani out?_

*Yes, Mirage mentioned it to me, but she's my wife! We're allowed to talk together and not make a big deal of it. Mirage just mentioned it, and I thought I would be a good friend, and try to help you out! Well, apparently I was wrong!*

*You... want to ask me out?* a soft sending asked, a soft glow of delight surrounding it.

_Oh, uh, hi Lani._ I said slowly, my mind struggling to figure out what course of action would leave me with my dignity intact.

*Just say yes!* screeched Illusion *It's not that hard! She's had a thing for you pretty much since you met, don't crush her hopes now!*

_I guess so, yeah. _I said, my voice gaining a bit more confidence as I spoke. Now that the choice had been taken away from me, I figured that I might as well make the most of the situation I had been forced into. Also, if I went along with it, I might finally get Illusion off my back about it for the first time in pretty much forever.

*Yes, finally!* cheered Mirage, earning a surge of embarrassment from Lani through our link.

*Come find me.* sent Lani softly *I would like it if we could continue this conversation in person.*

_Alright_ I agreed _I will be there soon._

**Herobrine's POV**

"Why are they doing this? How am I going to stop them?" I murmured, pacing back and forth below the low rise that kept me concealed from where Honeydew and Xephos were building in a shallow cave a little way from their permanent dwelling. It was not what they were building now that filled me with dread though, but rather the next project I had heard them speaking about.

They were constructing the platform in the cave to hold another structure, one which I both wished to see and feared the creation of. A portal to my realm. They had gathered the obsidian on their last mining expedition, a lucky strike of diamond giving them the ability to harvest the tough material. Apparently Honeydew had heard stories of the realm that lay through the obsidian gateways, one which dwarves were warned to fear. So as an act of defiance he wished to go there, to show that there was nothing that the dwarven elders could keep him from doing no that he had been exiled from their lands. Xephos had seemed intrigued about the idea, although his interest was accompanied by the usual trepidation that he had for pretty much anything new.

_I mean it's not that I don't want to go there._ I thought, stopping my pacing to peer over the ridge _I would love to be able to return to my realm. But the Chaos lords still dwell there, and I don't even know if I can enter._ I hadn't seen it since Shadow rescued me from it so long ago, when it had been taken from me. I could no longer feel my link to it as I once had, when it had truly been mine, but a portion of its magic was still mine, the most basic layers of it still linked to my power.

_I can't let them go there._ I finally decided reluctantly _I cannot risk Void escaping, and with no true realmlord of the Overworld, there's just too much risk of someone escaping when they transport in._

Stepping back below the cover of the ridge, I closed my eyes, reaching out towards where I had seen them placing the first few blocks of what would eventually be a portal. The slight ripple of magic that obsidian always carried allowed me to better track their progress as I struggled to remember the various spells that were needed to isolate and block a portal.

_Shit, the frame needs to be done before I can do any of these._ I thought in irritation _That's not going to give me much time._ An amplification in the obsidian's magic signaled the frame's completion, the realm now recognizing it as a potential gateway. Now all that was needed was the spark to complete the link between realms. Hurriedly I worked to layer magic around the portal that would prevent it from being used, letting out a sigh of relief as I finished just before the portal was lit, the act sending a wave of magic through the ring of obsidian and activating my runes. Peering back over the ridge, I was relieved to see the two of them still standing there, the mist of the portal swirling around them but refusing to take them anywhere.

_I'm sorry I had to do that to them. _I sighed, feeling their lighthearted disappointment that the portal would not let them through. _But this is better than having Void and his agents free._ Taking one last look at the two of them as they returned to their home base, I walked deeper into the forest, seeking out a dry place to spend the night. I wanted to stay near the portal for one night, if only to feel connected to my realm once more. It had been so long since I left, but upon feeling the aura the portal radiated, the memories came rushing back. Finding a sheltered spot amongst a cluster of low hanging trees, I settled down, the touch of portal magic quickly lulling me to sleep.

**xXxXxXx**

When I awoke, something seemed off, and it didn't tale me long to figure out what. The portal magic present around me had changed, a secondary layer present with what I had felt before. Mindful of danger, I stood slowly, drawing my sword and hesitantly reaching out towards the portal. There was defiantly something off about it, but from this distance I could not tell what.

_Well, I guess __I've got to go and see what's going on. _I sighed _I wouldn't want those two to __accidentally__ get into trouble because of whatever it is. Most of the time, they can barely handle Creepers, let alone unknown magic._ Quickly making sure that my charges were still in their home, I walked over to the portal, the feeling that some strange magic was present even stronger now than it had been prior. Looking at it though, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with it.

_Maybe I'm just imagining it._ I thought uneasily, climbing the stairs Xephos had built up to the portal and placing a hand on the frame. _There's been enough lords around lately that it could just be residual magic I suppose._ Closing my eyes, I began to trace the runes I had set the night before, searching for any evidence of tampering with them.

Switching from one spell strand to another, I felt a snapping sensation as a ring of magic stretched between the two broke, sending twisting bands of magic wrapping around me, pulling me to the portal and holding me against the rough surface of the frame.

"What's going on?" I gasped, struggling against the bonds and hurriedly strengthening my mental barriers even as I attempted to identify any unexpected presences in the area. When my initial struggling did nothing to weaken the golden bonds, indeed only seeming to strengthen their grasp on my body and pull me more securely against the portal, I changed tactics. I drew heavily on my powers and closed my eyes, simultaneously channeling my powers as strong as I was able to in the area around my restraints and forcing energy into my bonds with my family and lords, strengthening them in hopes that, should something happen to me, they would be able to detect it. I had unthinkingly weakened my links to all of them to protect them from the misfortune that always followed me, and that could be what put me in the most danger this time.

**Your little flames will do nothing against our power.** A voice hissed, green tinged wisps of magic condensing around me to smother the flames with their touch. **For you know not who you deal with.**

"Who are you?" I asked, not recognizing the magic, yet feeling as if it should be familiar.

"Ah, how quickly we forget it seems." another voice said, this one spoken aloud rather than sent through the magic plane as the other had been "I find it strange that you do not remember the one to took your brother from you. One hundred years may have passed, but what is that to one of your kind?" With these words, the speaker stepped into the soft light that was peeking over the horizon as the sun began to rise.

"Star." I hissed. I had never seen her in a physical form before, and even now I could hardly tell she was in one. She wore a long, hooded gold robe that covered most of her body, save her hands and the large pair of butterfly wings that emerged from her back.

"Indeed." she smirked "And in case you haven't put the pieces together, our observer is Texolauren."

I felt my body stiffen at the mention of his name, rage at what he had done to Steve itching to be released but finding no outlet given my current state.

"Oh, has that upset you?" smirked Star "Poor baby. But we're not here to talk about your brother. No, we're here for you."

"What do you mean?" I asked, eyes narrowed. Something strange was going on here, and it didn't seem good.

**A bit of your help is needed for our next step.**hissed Texolauren.

"Like I'd ever help you." I snapped, trying to pull away from the strands of his magic that flowed around me.

"Well, lucky for us, we don't need your willing help." said Star "We just need you to be here. Right where you are now." Star clapped her hands, and several magic rings revealed themselves, all surrounding the portal where I was bound.

_Well, this isn't good._ I sighed _Looks like my luck is going about as well as usual._

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Now for questions.**

**From ****Corruption-Virus ****to Me: So Star is bad? **

**M****e: Yes, in a sense that she is allied with Void. However, that does not necessarily mean what they are doing is wrong, or that she always acts the way she has been ****in recent chapters****. ****Things are messed up since there isn't really anyone keeping things balanced and because the Overworld is lacking its realmkind.**

**Any questions for me or the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Also, if you want you can check me out on Deviantart, where I am EnderFriend284 as well, and I will periodically be uploading my art there. Anyway, I hope you all have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	65. Preparation and Spells

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I would like to thank ****Beansy ****for reviewing this week. On with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Texolauren's POV**

I watched I amusement as Herobrine struggled against Star's bindings, trying to escape or at least distance himself from the trails of my magic that flowed around him.

**There's no point in trying.** I laughed, floating closer to him. **I'll show you.** I drew one of my tentacles across his eyes, earning a cry of pain from him as my magic forced his vision to shift planes. **There, you see?** I said, gesturing to his bindings **They may look breakable in the material plane, but you're not getting out on your own without serious injury.** While in the material plane the bonds merely resembled golden ties arcing across his body, but in the magic plane their true power was shown. The magic bindings actually stretched through Herobrine's form, keeping him tethered directly through his spirit.

"Keep still if you can." advised Star, a sinister tone entering her voice. "It will be less likely that this rips you apart this way."

_**Star, you know there is a very low chance of that.**_ I pointed out _**It's much more likely that the ritual will only consume a portion of his magic.**_

_** ***_Yes, but he doesn't need to know that._*** **_she pointed out *Anyway, this my part, not yours. Just be ready to finish it when you're needed.*

*What are you doing to brother?* a soft voice asked, feeble strands of aura attempting to part my magic so they could view the scene before me through my third pair of eyes. I easily brushed away the effort, momentarily turning my attention to Steve.

_**That is none of your concern.**_ I said icily _**And you would do well to remember that I control your life now. Poking around in matters you have no involvement in will do nothing good for you.**_

A weak sigh was all I got in response to this, but when Steve's magic did not make a second attempt to see what was going on, I decided it was alright to turn my attention back to the ritual. In the time I had wasted reprimanding the captive lord, Star had gone on with the ritual, activating the spells woven into the rings that covered the ground around Herobrine. She had obviously gotten fed up by his words, as a band of magic was stretched across his mouth, keeping him from speaking. A haze of her golden magic had enveloped the area, bringing with it a soft glow that fortunately did not make its way far from the shallow cave we were in now. It would hardly do for us to be seen by Herobrine's little friends.

*The spells are set, its time to do your part.* sent Star, finishing her casting with an upward sweep of her hand.

_**As was promised,**_ I said _**I shall do what is required.**_ Concentrating, I summoned my cosmic crystal blade, channeling my magic through it to switch it to its utility function. Weapons were great and all, but when magic it your main tool, there are more useful things to have.

_**I hope Void remembers,**_I thought, raising my blade and approaching Catherine's shivering form _**That betraying me would be a poor decision on his part. After all, his his chosen have deep ties with the magic plane, my realm, and I do not care if they are not paired lords. My people can deal with a bit of incompatibility and struggle if need be.**_ We had been without permanent hosts for centuries now, considering the lack of paired lords around, the Builders having finally figured out more ways to identify them. Others could serve as hosts for a time, but the forms of those with weaker magic who were easily overpowered did not have the capacity to hold our powers, and those who could hold our power held too much resistance to stay in control without conflict for long.

Pushing aside these thoughts of my people, I focused on the magic intertwined within the portal as I stood before it. On this side, I could feel the power that kept the Overworld together, mostly Steve and Shatter's, but with traces of Israphel's from during the sand war as well as ripples of power from the other Realmkind from when the realm had first been built. Homing in on this portion of magic, I followed it to where it shifted to its more powerful form, Herobrine's magic contained within the Nether. The meeting point of the two was the boundary of the realms, twisted around and about with he various spells that governed the portals. And amongst everything, wrapped in a hundred years of Zeren's spells and realm fortification, was Ender's spell which bound Void to the Nether, Herobrine's supporting magic wrapped around it. And this was what had kept us at this for the last hundred years. If the binding spell had just been kept together by a little girl's spell, there would have been little breaking it. Soon after Void had been locked away through his ties with Israphel, before Void had been able to extract his magic from Israphel's in order to break free from the realm, Herobrine's magic had surrounded the magic that made up Ender's spell, rooting it to the realm's core. This made what might have otherwise been an easy spell to break into one that was impossible to break without resorting to destroying the realm and those within it. At least that's what they thought before talking to me.

My alliance with Void had been informal at best before, a promise here and there to keep me interested and persuade me to keep Destiny distracted from Star's return. But when Star came to me with her problem, I was intrigued. I had spent months trying to come up with a way to bypass the magic that held the spell in place without disturbing the realm structure, and finally, after much tinkering and combining of existing spells, I had managed to do it.

Coupling my final piece with Star's spell to bind and link Herobrine to the portal, it was at last time to free Void. Taking a last step forward, I swept my blade across Herobrine's arm and torso, cutting a shallow line into his flesh. A muffled cry of pain and distress came from the bound lord, his eyes squeezed closed in an attempt to forget the scene.

As the blood trickled down and collected along the portal and across the closest circle, I felt the power within it stir, seeking out the like magic in the Nether. Cloaking my own power in it's bright hue, I made my way at last into the heart of the realm. All it took was a sharp shove against the place where the bind was located and things began to unravel, the magic being rejected by the realm. Hurriedly I looped the concealing trails I had wrapped around me back in with Herobrine's aura, allowing the magic to return to him as the drain from the realm's sudden shift hit. His body shuddered from the sudden drain on his strength, his defenses softening as he neared unconsciousness.

"No, you can't sleep yet." reprimanded Star, pulling him partly out of his daze with a jolt of power that earned a cry of pain from the weakened lord. "I want you to see this, so you know what you have allowed us to do. So you know of your part in my love's return."

Herobrine nodded slightly, more to ensure Star knew he was conscious than anything else. The Nether was still drawing on his power to resituate itself after rejecting Ender's spell, and a slight worry had entered my mind. I had been blocking Herobrine's pained sending to his brothers, but if they were to find him like this after feeling nothing, they would know something was going on.

Sighing in annoyance and mentally making a note to ask Void for more compensation for this, I pooled together a small portion of my magic, cutting it off from my aura and removing the traces of my presence, leaving it in its pure form. Pulling a touch of his magic to me, I dropped it into the pool of magic, shifting it to match his magic type. When it had flowed to all the bits I linked it to him, twisting the strands around his own until I could feel the Nether drawing from it rather than from his dwindling power.

_**That should keep him going. It would hardly do for him to die on us. We might need him again.**_

The additional power had give Herobrine the strength to remain conscious, his eyes at last managing to remain open, weakly following Star's movement as she collected some of the blood that was still trickling from his wounds and touching her circles with it, converting each rune from her magic to his to conceal our role in this.

**Are you done Star? **I asked when she reached the last circle.

"Almost." she said "Just a moment more, then I will call Void." Saying this, she finished converting her circles and released her hold on Herobrine, his limp form sliding off the portal. A groan escaped his lips as he fell, more scarlet droplets falling from his injuries to decorate the ground around the portal. Star pulled him to the side of the portal then closed her eyes, presumably calling out to Void that it was alright to come through.

Several minutes later the portal rippled, sending warning ripples of magic through the realm that I did not bother to block. The point was to get the other lords' attention, and a recently used portal would draw them to here.

*Thank you for helping brother.* Steve sent softly, his words more subdued than sometimes. It was rare for him to speak to me with anything other than contempt without prompting, so this came as a bit of a surprise.

_**You'll want to take back those words **__**soon, little lord.**_ I thought wryly, considering the recent events and those which were likely to follow.

*Why?* he asked, confusion coloring his sending *All I felt was you helping with his magic.*

_**I'll tell you soon enough.**_ I said, my attention returning to the portal. _**Now, stay quiet or I will have to deal with you later.**_

The portal rippled once more and a figure emerged from its depths. Void was just about in a physical form, though strands of his magic were making an effort to escape and spread out to shift the Overworld towards Chaos once more. Star did her best to stay composed, but the delighted ripples pouring off her aura told the story of how much she had actually missed Void. Apparently despite all the backstabbing and betrayal the two lords were known for, they genuinely cared for each other. Either that, or the old saying,_ absence makes the heart grow stronger_, worked really, really well.

"Ugh, it's good to finally be free from that accursed realm." sighed Void, squinting into the bright sun outside the cave and pulling the hood of the dark gray robe he wore lower. "Do we know where the girl who did this is, so that she may be dealt with accordingly?"

"Not precisely, no." said Star "However, this one was partially responsible for what happened, through his realm's magic." She gestured to where Herobrine lay on his side, his injuries still weeping blood, as he looked blearily at the other lords. He didn't really seem to be able to perceive the gravity of the situation in his weakened state, due to both his blood and magic loss.

"I know of this one, yes." said Void, looking over the semi-conscious lord "My magic has been whispering to him for years now, yet he still needlessly resists. Tch, to have such opportunities and power and throw it away needlessly. What is to be his fate anyhow?"

"He's been set up to take the blame for all of this. I planted some of your magic on him last time we met." said Star, reaching out to take Void's hand.

He waved her off, saying "One minute, let's make this all the more convincing." Bending down, he touched the firelord's forehead, channeling his magic through the contact. When he removed his hand, a black circle with the faintest traces of purple at its heart had been left behind, Void's rune mark.

"There." he said, taking Star's hand and lacing her fingers with his own "Now they will be hard pressed to find anything wrong with this scene. Now lets go, before they stumble upon us. Come along Israphel." Surprised by his words, I saw that Israphel had indeed come through the portal without my noticing. The three of them stealthily raced away, presumably to some place prearranged by Star.

_**This went well.**_ I thought, sinking deeper into my realm as I left the scene _**Now, to see if the outcome is as we had hoped.**_

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**A/****N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Any questions for me or the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter! Bye! :D**


	66. The Value of Trust

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I would like to thank Beansy for reviewing this week. On with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Notch's POV**

"What was that?" I murmured, looking up from where I had been piecing together some more spell pieces for my respawn system. The project was enormous, and even with Jeb's help it would take a while to be brought to completion. My distraction had been caused by strange ripples of power, ones which usually accompanied the use of one of the realm portals. However, I could detect no portals in use between my realm and the Overworld.

_Maybe another Crafter has built a Nether portal in secret._ I thought uneasily, standing and pushing my hair out of my eyes. After Israphel and consequently Void had been banished, the creating of Nether portals had been forbidden, with only a few preexisting ones being kept in place under guard to ensure the Chaos kind stayed trapped within the realm. Few Crafters cared about this change, preferring to stay away from the fire filled realm anyways because of the dangers it contained and its association with Herobrine, who Crafters still feared. Mages and alchemists were the most affected by the rule, as both groups needed the materials found there for their work. Because of this, armed supply groups were allowed through the portals to gather materials in order to quiet their protests. However, no groups that I knew of were supposed to be in the Nether now, so who or what had caused the disturbance?

"Maybe I'll go check it out." I said uneasily, dumping the rest of my spell components into a chest beside the desk to sort later. "It's better to be overly careful than under prepared after all."

Closing my eyes, I located where the strange ripples were coming from, noting slightly uneasily its proximity to Herobrine's known location. It was strange that such a thing involving his realm would happen so close to where he was without causing some sort of major reaction from him, unless he was somehow involved in it.

Choosing a spot close enough to the source to avoid ending up in the middle of what was going on, I teleported to the location, pulling my aura in as close as I could while still being able to sense if someone was sneaking up on me. That was one thing I was always alert for, so many years of dealing with Herobrine's antics having taught me to always watch my back. Uneasily, I noted that the disturbance seemed to be because of a higher level of chaos magic in the area, much higher than the remnants of magic that was present in the majority of the realm.

_It could just be from the portal._ I thought, trying to reassure myself. _Some of the other portals have chaos leaks too, though none I know of leak as much as this._ Reaching my senses towards where the concentration was at its highest, I inadvertently crossed magic with another lord's aura, one who's power was weak enough to be drowned out by the chaos magic that drenched the area.

"What the?" I murmured, taking a few steps forward to look over the edge of the cliff I stood on. The presence was defiantly below me, but I could see nothing that would indicate their presence, whoever they were.

_Maybe Hero would know._ I thought, looking over towards where I knew the ones he watched lived. Closing my eyes and taking a step back from the edge of the cliff to avoid falling off, I opened myself to the area. It only took a moment to find my link with Herobrine, the familiar touch of his magic calming my anxious thoughts ever so slightly. The worry returned though, when I felt how weak his magic was, how swirling ripples of chaos power made their way through his aura, unobstructed by any mental resistance.

_Hero, are you alright? _I asked, pouring energy into our link in an attempt to snap him back to awareness.

*Brother.* he sent hazily, the sending seeming to be more from reflex than any conscious effort of his. Knowing that I wasn't going to get any answers from him in this state, I searched for the coordinates of his location, a shock of icy fear running through me as I realized he must have been the one who's aura I had brushed earlier, his power so obscured that I was able to distinguish that it belonged to Herobrine.

_Hero, please be alright._ I sent, spreading my wings and leaping form the edge of the cliff, gliding down to the coordinates I had gleaned. Landing at the bottom of the cliff, I looked into the cave, my eyes widening as I took in the sight contained within. A Nether portal was situated on a platform in the center, with several rings of gently pulsing magic surrounding it. From the portal flowed long strands of chaos magic, turning the dirt around the portal to sand as it traveled past. Taking a few steps closer, I felt brushes of power from a continued flow of energy into the portal, the circles keeping some transfer looped that should have ended long before.

Hesitantly, I traced the flow to its source, worried as to what I might find. The trail of magic flowed to a spot the portal had managed to conceal from my vision, just far enough around the back to be hidden from my sight. With caution, I stepped over the boundary of the first ring, fully expecting something bad to happen. Most others would have left well enough alone at this point, but I had to know what was going on, and more importantly, how Herobrine was involved in it. I couldn't make any sense of the faint wisps of magic I was getting from him, and there was so much chaos power around that it was impossible to distinguish any other magic types amongst it. Perhaps Herobrine wasn't here at all, and the coordinates I had gathered from what I could detect of his aura had been planted there by some other lord who had caused him harm.

Crossing the ring sent a shock of splashback across me as the touch of my magic disrupted the loop, releasing the continued draw and allowing the power contained within to flow free.

More confident now that the rings were not in place to keep anyone out, and therefore did not pose much of a threat, I ran to the portal, determined to discover once and for all if Herobrine was alright.

Rounding the edge of the frame, I froze, eyes widening in horror at the sight before me. Herobrine lay on his side beside the portal, a pool of blood slowly congealing around him, Even this close to him, his magic only flowed to me in featherlight strands, though the flow was slightly more regular now. The rings must have been looping some spell that drained him, possibly funneling power into keeping the portal open so the chaos could be released. Although, there should be no reason to do that, for I could tell that the binding which Ender had placed upon the portal was broke, that the chaos within the Nether was free to enter this realm, and that Void and his chosen were no longer safely contained.

As I watched, Herobrine stirred, the extra energy he had since his magic was no longer being drained away lending him the strength to return to consciousness.

His movement instilling a bit of hope in me, I stepped forward, bending down to lay a gentle hand on his shoulder. Just before I touched him though, he turned, his gaze brightening slightly from the still, sadness filled expression he had held previously as he saw me.

"You came." he whispered. I could not share his happiness though, my gaze held captive by the symbol on his forehead.

"What's wrong?" Herobrine asked, the slight smile he had worn disappearing, reaching a hand towards me as he managed to sit up, his magic finally stopping the bleeding from his wounds.

"Like you don't know." I snapped, swatting his hand aside. The brief contact confirmed my suspicion. Herobrine's magic had seemed so hard to find and patchy, not only because it was at a low level, but because most of it was riddled with chaos power, the magic from the portal and the rune that marked him flowing through him,

Herobrine looked taken aback, confusion spreading across his features. "Notch..." he said softly, looking me over "Why are you acting like this?"

"Stop playing innocent!" I yelled, flaring my wings as angry red and orange streaks raced across them. A tiny portion of me wondered if I was making a mistake here, but all the evidence seemed to point to the fact that Herobrine was at fault here. "This was you! You did this! You brought Void back into this realm, after all we've done to keep him out."

At my words, Herobrine froze, a look of disbelief on his face. "You think I did this? No, no I would never do that. I may have missed my realm, but this realm's safety, Steve's safety, is more important than that."

"Yeah, here's the thing though." I said icily, glaring at him "I might believe that, if it weren't for the fact that your magic is teeming with Void's power and you ave his rune mark on your forehead." My words ended in a shout, all of the disgust I felt at the way Herobrine was lying to me forcing their way out. "It was a mistake to ever trust you. I bet you've been working with him all along."

Herobrine's face paled at my words, reaching into a pocket for some item. Warily I prepared a spell, unsure if he was preparing to attack. After all, I had uncovered his connection to Void, and presumably destroyed his cover. All he took out though, was a reflective sheet of glass, holding it at a slight angle so that his was able to glimpse himself in it.

His expression went from upset to distraught as he saw himself, one hand hesitantly reaching up to trace the edge of the rune.

"Brother." he said softly, gaze lowered "You have to believe me. I was not a willing part of this. I know things look bad, but surely you can see past that."

"All I see is that you have gotten caught in the act of betraying us, and are trying to cover it up. Well, it's not going to work, traitor. I am going to end your ways once and for all." Saying this, I drew on my magic, wrapping yellow bands of power around his wrists, tethering them together. Herobrine shifted slightly, looking at the bands. As he moved, the contact caused a jolt of energy to run through him, discouraging movement.

The look Herobrine gave me was one of a person who had been completely and utterly betrayed. Slight tears came to his eyes, making their lazy way down his cheeks.

"I trusted you." he sniffed, attempting to wipe away his tears and only succeeding in shocking himself again. "You promised you'd always watch out for me, brother. And now you can't even trust me on this."

"You're no brother of mine, traitor." I said, glaring at him. At this, Herobrine broke down, curling into a ball as tears poured down his face.

_Just ignore it._ I thought, looking away as a pang of regret ran through me. _He's just trying to make you feel sorry for him, hoping that I'll let him off more easily._ Tuning out his cries with a great deal of effort, I focused on a place within my palace in the Aether I had not entered since it was built. Locating it, I grabbed Herobrine by his bonds, teleporting the pair of us to that spot.

Blinking away the spots that accompanied the transit, I looked over the room, noting that things did not appear to have changed, suggesting that no others had discovered its location. It was not like there was much of a chance of anyone stumbling upon it though. Teleporting was the only way in, and the great majority of it was warded even against that.

Dropping Herobrine's bindings, I walked over to a crystalline panel that bisected the room. Placing my hand on the surface, I felt a chill run through me, the temperature within the other half of the chamber leeching through the barrier. I channeled a brief burst of magic through the barricade, guiding it through the complicated series of enchanted locks within the surface to open it. A section of the wall slid aside, a blast of freezing air flowing out.

"You've brought this upon yourself, traitor." I said, picking up Herobrine's bindings again and dragging him into the freezing cell. He collapsed onto the icestone floor as I let the bonds dissolve, watching me as I walked over to the wall, taking two pairs of restraints from a recessed cubbyhole and turning back to the traitor. Reaching out, I grabbed one of his arms, unlatching the restraint and clamping it around his wrist. He let out a soft cry of pain as it bit into his arm, digging into his flesh until it was on the same level as his skin. I repeated this for his other arm and ankles, earning no more than a slight cry of distress from the other lord.

"I wouldn't try and escape if I were you." I said, turning away as I completed the task. "Even if you manage to get out of this room, despite the continuous chill the icestone makes to weaken your magic, those binds will strip you of your power if you get too far away. And that's the best case scenario for you."

As I turned to leave, I heard Herobrine speak. "Brother, why?" he asked, looking at me with a pleading gaze.

"I am no brother of yours." I said, turning away and closing the barrier "You would do well to remember that, traitor."

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**A/N: So, yeah, that happened. Anyway, if you enjoyed, consider leaving a review, I love to hear from you guys. Questions for the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	67. Allying and Cuddles

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I would like to thank ****Squid God ****for reviewing this week. On with the chapter.**

**D****isclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Will's POV**

"They're free Miri, I can sense them." I murmured, resting my tail lightly against his arm "What am I going to do? We couldn't face Texolauren alone when it was both of us, and now I have to deal with three of them on my own." As always, I reached out towards where he presence should be, hoping that for once I would be able to sense him. But, like all the other times I had tried in the past, there was nothing.

Sighing, I let my tail droop. It was so stressful, this whole thing. A portion of me wanted to do nothing, to allow chaos to fill the realm and shift things so I was stronger, but another part, the part of me that knew Miri was right when it came to things needing to have some semblance of balance, knew that I had to oppose them, since they had already skewed things by recruiting Texolauren to their side. Or maybe it was just that I wanted to get back at them for what they did to Miri. Yeah, it was probably the second one.

Either way though, there was no way I could do it alone. Void was type matched with me, our powers unable to work effectively on each other, and Star very well could be as well. Her powers were a bit more ordered, but I had never faced her. She was usually Destiny's adversary, the two of them always at odds over one thing or another. Texolauren had been a long time enemy of mine, but I had faced him when I was much stronger than I was now and still barely gotten rid of him. His position as lord of the magic plane made him extra dangerous, as he knew how close our kind were to our chosen, and the power he could hold over us if he were to threaten them.

One possible idea came to mind, and I grimaced, not enjoying what it involved one bit. But short of doing things on my own, something I knew wouldn't work, I could see no other option that would cause fewer problems, at least considering the ones involved right now.

"This better work, Miri." I sighed, patting his shoulder lightly as I turned to leave the room. Should the one I was contacting turn violent, I didn't want anything to happen to him.

Reaching another room far enough away that Miritayen would be safe, I opened myself to the area, feeling the sift of magic all around me. Here in the Aether, the magic was almost exclusively order based, meaning Destiny was at her strongest here. If something set her off, I would be hard pressed to fight back, and fleeing was not an option, not when I would have to leave Miritayen behind. I had lost to many chosen to such things to risk that.

_You can do this._ I thought, trying to reassure myself. _Just stay calm, and things should be okay._ Taking a deep breath, I called out mentally _Are you around, Destiny? I would like to speak to you._

**Well, aren't you polite today.** Destiny snickered, her blue magic condensing in the air before me. **What could you possibly need that I could give you?** At her words, I felt my magic stir angrily within me, wishing to be released, to convert things to chaos and thus increase its sway. She was a reminder that my power no longer was most prevalent, chaos having lost much of its sway after what happened with Void.

"What I need is..." I said, breaking off my words momentarily to swallow nervously, a lump in my throat. "Is... your help."

At this, Destiny burst out laughing, her form condensing to a more solid one, Still laughing, she approached me, draping an arm casually over my shoulder. "That's a good one Will. You need my help, hah, that's great." She mimed wiping away a tear, her laughter echoing across the room. When a few moments passed without a response from me, her mirth diminished, her mood turning more serious.

"Woah, you wern't kidding." she said, letting her arm drop and turning to look me over. "You're never this serious, so it must be the real thing. You really do need my help."

"Yeah." I said softly, taking a step back. I was very uncomfortable this close to Destiny, my magic trying to rip its way free of the hold I had on it, to convert the area to chaos.

"So, what's the deal, how can I help?" she asked. I let out a silent thanks that our kind became less aggressive and more easygoing when their magic was dominant, for it made this task somewhat possible. Had order still been in lesser quantities than chaos, there would have been no chance of assistance from her.

"I don't know if you're aware of what happened to Miri... Miritayen." I said, correcting the slip of my pet name for the other lord.

"Let me stop you there, Will." said Destiny, raising a hand. "I am aware of your little attraction towards that balance keeper Miritayen. Honestly, I'm a bit offended you think I wouldn't notice it. I do occasionally find the time to check up on you, and you have spent the last hundred years pining over how he was snatched away from you by Texolauren." She said this last bit with a smirk, taking a slight leap back to perch on the edge of a desk set in front of the window.

"Ah, oh, okay." I murmured, anxiously clasping my hands together "Well, I was trying to come up with a way I could do this without asking for your help, but well, I couldn't."

"Come on Will, just spill it." she said, looking concerned "You're not usually like this."

"I know." I murmured, squeezing my eyes closed "It's my magic. It doesn't like you... Your power... it fights mine. I... I don't know what to do."

Understanding lit across her face, and I felt her power draw inward, a barrier forming between me and her power. There was still order power, yes, but it was the diluted form that permeated the realm, something I had become accustom to dealing with. Tentatively I let my power free, the strands of power moving outward hastily at first, searching for concentrations of order, but slowed when none immediately presented themselves.

"Better?" she asked.

"Yeah." I said, somewhat surprised by the level of concern she had. If it had been pretty much anyone else, I might have thought it showed they genuinely cared. But I knew Destiny, and somehow she would twist this her way.

_Don't think of that _now_. _I reprimanded myself _Strengthening chaos can wait until Void and his lot have been dealt with. And for that, we need her._

"So, is that what you needed help with?" She asked, slight confusion tinting her voice "Or is there something else?"

"No, no, there's something else." I sighed "That was just an... unanticipated consequence. I didn't really take into account how your power would stack with the realm's power to drown out mine so much. Last time we were around each other, chaos was dominant in the overworld, so my power was stronger, but it was in this realm, so our powers didn't conflict as much."

"Focus, Will!" She snapped, sliding off the desk to stand in front of me again. "I have time to listen, but that time doesn't last all day!"

"Oh, right." I murmured. Taking a deep breath to compose myself, I said "Void is free and his allies are growing in strength. And, well, I was wondering if you would help me?"

"Star is on their allience, right?" she asked. I nodded, not meeting her gaze.

"Alright, I'm in then."

"Wait, really?" I asked, not quite believing what I was hearing. "Just like that?"

"Yeah, pretty much." she said "You think I would pass up a perfectly good oportunity to ruin Star's day?"

"I'll need your help with Void too." I said softly.

"Yeah, yeah, sure." she said, waving her hand dismisivly "That'll upset her too. Now, are we done here?" Wordlessly, I nodded.

"Well, much as I'd love to stay and chat, I've got things to check up on." I watched as her form disolved, reighning back my magic as it attempted to make one last swipe at her power.

_Well, that went... a lot better than expected._ I thought, making my way back to Miritayen's room.

**Shadow's POV**

"Everything alright, Shadow?" Lani asked, sitting up slightly and resting a hand on my shoulder.

"Sorry, what?" I asked, jumping slightly as her touch snapped me out of my troubled thoughts.

"I asked if you were okay." she said, scooting a bit closer to me on the couch we were sitting on. "But from how you're acting, it's pretty clear there's something wrong. So what's going on?"

"It's just a feeling I have." I confessed. "I think there's something going on with my brothers, but I haven't felt anything from them to suggest that. So that's all I have to go on, a feeling."

"Maybe you should go and see them." she suggested, snuggling closer and looping her tail around mine. "It would make you feel better, and I think it would do you good to see them."

"Maybe you're right." I sighed "But, I won't go if you don't want me to."

"Go." said Lani, a slight smile on her lips "I've waited this long, a bit longer won't do me any harm."

"Alright." I sighed "But tomorrow."

"Tomorrow." she agreed softly, her breathing slowing as she drifted off.

"I love you, Lani." I murmured softly, shifting slightly to kiss her forehead gently.

"You too." she whispered sleepily. Smiling softly, I pulled her closer, draping a wing across her sleeping form. Sending one last burst of contentment and hapiness to her, I drifted off, putting aside my worries for once to sleep well.

*It's good to know there's someone you'll listen to.* said Illusion *I'll have to remember that.*

_Shut it, I'm trying to sleep._ I sighed, pushing his sending away. For once, he didn't resist, allowing me to drift back to sleep.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Questions for the characters or for myself can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Also, if anyone is interested, there is a rough timeline of all my stories on my profile. So anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	68. Investigating and Worry

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. So, the Mianite season 2 finale was today, and wow, it was amazing. Everyone did such a great job, and I really felt like things were wrapped up well. All the same, I am sad to see it end and cannot wait for season 3. Anyway, on with the chapter! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Jeb's POV**

"Do you know what's going on?" Notchie asked, flicking his wings nervously as he peeked out into the hallway.

"Not really, no." I admitted, walking over to stand next to the younger lord. He had come to find me when he felt the strange magical ripples that had filled the realm for a few moments before being suddenly cut off. That fact in itself had caused me more worry than the ripples themselves. It wasn't all that unusual for shifts in magic to occur, what with Will and my lady around, but for them to just suddenly break off, that was strange.

"Would you like me to go find out?" I asked him. Notchie nodded, moving aside to allow me out into the hallway.

"Uh, I'll just stay here." he said, perching on a table near the door.

"Alright." I said "I'll tell you if I find anything out." Walking out into the hallway, I took one last look back at the other lord. Notchie had grown a lot since his encounter with Void in the Overworld during the Chaos war, both mentally and physically, but his skittish nature had remained, a carryover from when he had been hunted as a child for his Starlord heritage. Recently though, I had noticed that he seemed to be much more sensitive to chaos magics than one would expect from a lord from the Aether to be. It made me wonder if something more was going on.

_You're reading too much into this._ I chastised myself, trying to push the accusatory thoughts from my mind _Notchie is probably just more sensitive to magic in general._ With that thought, I turned back to the hallway, resuming my search for Notch.

**Notchie's POV**

"I hope Jeb can figure out what happened." I sighed, uneasily scouting around the area with thin tendrils of power. I had nearly fallen off the roof earlier when I had first felt it, an unexpected chaos power in this realm. It was faint enough to be overlooked and not strong enough for me to identify, but it was a magic which was undeniably chaos based.

"I wish I didn't have this skill." I murmured, anxiously twisting the edge of a wings as I walked over to the window. "I know it comes with being a Starlord, but still. Having to hide it, this secret which we have within us that we do not share." Most assumed that as residents of the Aether, Starlords shared the trait of order based magic that the other Aetherian races had, namely the Valkyrie and the Aetherian lords. But this was not the case. Like our lady, Star, our magic was chaos based, and as such, our connections to lords who's magic was also based in chaos was much stronger than it would have otherwise been. My overall affinity was still order because of my branch of light magic, but still the skill remained, a passive reminder of my heritage.

"I hope whoever it was is alright.: I sighed, looking out the window. Regardless of who it had been, no one should have to experience the level of pain and distress I had felt amidst the power.

**Jeb's POV**

"Hey, Notch, wait up!" I called, turning the corner to see the other lord about to continue down another corridor. He jumped slightly at the sudden sound, startled. As he looked back, I saw his irritation clearly, but beneath it, I saw a trace of something more, carefully concealed except from someone who shared a close link with him. Pain.

"What do you need?" he asked, his even tone sounding forced.

"Notchie was wondering if anyone knew what was going on with the strange magic ripples earlier, and you were the first one I came across to ask. That can wait though. What's going on with you? I can tell you're upset about something."

"It's... personal." he said at last, looking away. "So, I'd appreciate if you'd leave well enough alone."

Opening my mouth to reply, I felt a trace of a presence that was too strong to have been present for that long, certainly not left from the last time the lord had been here.

"When were you around Herobrine?" I asked, trying to steer the conversation away from whatever was upsetting Notch. Judging from his expression though, bringing up his brother was a bad move.

"I told you, it's personal." he snapped. It wasn't hard to put two and two together from there. "What happened between you two?" I asked "I mean, I know you don't always get along, but this seems like more than that."

"Why do you care? You never liked him anyway?" Notch grumbled, glaring at me.

"Well, that's true I guess." I said hesitantly "But while I may not see eye to eye with him, he still is your brother, and you care for him. And I do care what happens to you."

"He betrayed us!" Notch shouted, whipping around to face me. His irate expression didn't surprise me, given what he had just said. Bright flashes of color swirled across his wings, showing not only his anger, but sadness and distress. Those colors were confined to the edges. Barely visible through efforts to keep them concealed.

"How?" I asked carefully, worried that he might unleash his anger on me. He could be more unpredictable than his brother at times, and I had a feeling that this was one of those moments.

"Can't you tell?" he snapped "Or has it become a usual thing for Void's power to grow in strength. The little traitor released him from his prison, allowing him free reign in the Overworld."

"Oh." I said, somewhat at a loss for words. Though I had never liked Herobrine much, he had not struck me as the kind of lord who would do something like this, if only because of the value he put on his relationship with Notch. Something like this, it would shatter their bonds, as it seemed to be doing now.

"Now, if you'd excuse me." he said icily, his rage barely contained "I've got to go pick up the pieces of the mess the traitor had made." With that, he stalked off.

_Well, that was... unexpected._ I thought, watching him leave. Something occurred to me, and I bit my lip, uneasily looking either way down the corridor to see if anyone was watching. When I could see no one, I ducked into the room closest to where I stood, placing a block in front of the door to keep anyone from entering.

Sitting on the block with my back to the door, I closed my eyes, carefully picking through the countless magics mixed together in the area to find the few lingering strands of Herobrine's power.

_Can you assist with this, my lady?_ I sent softly, knowing she would be able to pick it up, but hoping that no others would be able to.

*My power is yours, within reason my chosen.* she sent. All at once, I felt a rush of power mix with my magic, and it was all I could do to keep it from spilling over into my link with Notch. Taking the new power available to me, I amplified my senses, using them to follow the quickly fading strands of Herobrine's power. Just as I was about to loose the trail, my powers met a patch of heavy warding, concealed beneath the surface and surrounded in anti-magic runes. A single spot allowed access within, and it was choked with Notch's power and emotions, showing that he had been present recently and whatever he had done had brought about strong emotions.

Carefully, I painted one edge of the open spot with my magic, carefully using Destiny's power to coax Notch's magic back over it to hide my marker.

_Thank you, my lady._ I sent, releasing my hold on her power. _I will have to see where this goes._ I thought, carefully pulling in my senses. _I cannot free Herobrine now, not with Notch all riled up like this._

_ *_I agree with you._* _sent Destiny *It may see that he had betrayed his brother's trust, but this is Void we are dealing with. There could be information none of our alliance are aware of that could shift the blame. I doubt that in the midst of this, Notch stopped to get Herobrine's side of things, for emotions are excellent at causing irrationality.*

_Yeah._ I sighed _I shall talk to you later, my lady. I'm going to go tell Notchie what I have discovered._

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter, even though it is a bit short. I will do my best to make next week's longer. If so, please consider leaving a review, I love hearing from you guys. Also, any questions for the characters can be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	69. Scenes From the Other Side

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Not much to say, so on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Israphel's POV**

"This is convenient, having this village so close to the portal." I remarked, looking down the hill towards the small town. Granted, it was nothing spectacular, but it would do for now. "And only a couple thousand blocks from the wall, behind which my power still remains."  
**Our power.**reminded Void, dark twists of his power looping around me.

"Of course, my bad." I muttered.

*Careful Israphel* sent Star softly, her words for me alone *You don't want to irritate him.* Her sending no longer restrained, she said **There is a church in the town, and the leader, Reverend John, has been persuaded to side with us, so we are able to have a stronghold at a midpoint location between the portal and the sands.**

** And we are sure that they do not know where we are?** asked Void.

**Yes.** hissed Texolauren **I watched the Aether Realmlord come and take away his brother, for punishment, not healing. It shall be some time before they sort out the real story, and far longer still before their bonds will begin to mend. This gives a window of opportunity to us.**

"Let us begin then." I said, taking the first few steps towards the town as I pulled my cloak close around me, its sheltering darkness concealing my less than Crafter form.

I strode into the village along one of the main streets, not wishing to draw unneeded attention to myself. While we might be planning to take on the Realmkind, there was no need to show our hand too soon and risk immediate retaliation. It would be better to wait until they were all caught up in the mesh of lies we had spread for them, keeping them distracted to give us time to prepare.

Rounding the corner where the main road crossed a slightly smaller pathway, I spotted the chapel entrance on the opposite end of the short road. Approaching it, I saw that the door was propped open slightly, kept in place by a bit of wood to allow air into the dim building. A few stubby torches and the rays of sunlight able to penetrate the grubby surface of the windows were the church's only light sources, resulting in huge shadows that covered portions of the room. My kind of place.

Rummaging through some books at the front of the room was a white haired man, hunched with age or fatigue. My entry into the building sent shafts of light across the wooden floor and seats of the church, alerting the man to my presence. Looking up and turning towards the door to see who was there, a look of wonder crossed his face.

"Israphel" he whispered, taking a hesitant step towards me "Is it really you? You've changed so much!"

_Uh, what did you tell him about me?_ I asked Star, confused by this reaction.

*Just go with it, Israphel.* she said *Things have been set up to make it seem as if you are his son, a child who was killed by Creepers years ago. He will shelter you because of this, and he will follow your command, allowing you to carry out whatever you need done without exposing yourself.*

_Killed by Creepers ehy, now that's irony._ I snorted.

*Indeed.* said Texolauren.

*He may not believe the story entirely himself.* said Star *But he desires to. He fell to the dark arts when his child was killed, rejecting Notch's teachings when he did not answer his prayers to save his child. So, though he may not believe in our story, the others will, and he will support that.*

*Let us hope that will be enough.* hissed Void *But it seems that this one would be easily dispatched should he try to cross us, so such things would get him nowhere.*

"Uh, yes." I said, answering Reverend John's earlier question "It's me."  
Looking me up and down, he said hesitantly "You... you are my son?" His voice sounded as if he were trying to make himself believe it, that somehow, against all logic, his child had returned to him.

"What do you think?" I asked. If he did truly believe the story, then who was I to change that, but if he didn't believe, it was better to know now.

"You are not my son." he said, grief present in his voice. "You want me to think that though."

**We want others to think that. **hissed Void, his power once again manifesting around me **And should you assist, we shall see what can be done about reuniting you and your child.**

_Can that actually be done?_ I asked Void.

*I do not know.* he said *I have not tried within this realm, and that more than anything else would determine if it worked. I suppose it will largely depend on if we come out on top of this. It would be far more likely to work if chaos was dominant in the realm. Dominant order force would keep things as expected, which means dead things stay dead.*

"I shall help you." Reverend John said, nodding his head "All I ask is that you honor your word and try to bring back my son."

**Once we say we are to do something, that is what we do.** hissed Void. A ripple of anger ran through Void's aura, brought on by Reverend John's words. **Do you question our sincerity?**

"No, of course not." he said, taking a step back, fright evident on his face as he looked around for the source of the voice. "Who is speaking?" he asked softly, trying to meet my gaze discreetly.

"An... associate." I said, not sure how much to tell him.

**He speaks for me when I am unable to make a physical appearance.** said Void **We work together in the effort you are assisting with.**

"Ah, okay." he said, looking as if he was having some trouble processing this information. The sound of voices from further down the road made him look towards the doorway, startled.

"Let us continue this conversation elsewhere." he said, voice lowered "There are many who would try to stop what we are planning. There are few actual inhabitants of this town, what with how close it is to Mistral City, but we do get our fair share of visitors. They are the ones who might pose a problem, adventurers who come seeking supplies and to pray to Notch in a holy space." He said the last bit with distaste, going over to the door and peering out into the road. When he seemed to be satisfied that there was no one in view, he opened the door, gesturing for me to follow.

As he stepped out into the sunlight, I got my first good look at him. He looked pretty much like what was expected in a pastor, what with the dark suit he wore. It was well kept, as if all he had left was his appearance, and he put a considerable amount of time into keeping it perfect. In the light, it was clear that his hair, which I had assumed to be white in the dim light, was actually a light gray hue, streaked through with the occasional strand that had shifted to white.

Following him, we walked around the side of the church to where the entrance of a small crypt was located. There was no door to the small stone construct, merely an open doorway, and it was not illuminated, despite the bright sunlight attempting to make its way in. As we traveled down the stairs in near complete darkness, I strained to glimpse any light that might be escaping from the depths of the crypt, something to suggest that this was not some kind of elaborate trap. Rounding a corner on the staircase though, light suddenly spilled into the stairwell, something that had previously been obscured by the bend in the stairs.

Scarcely a moment later, we emerged into the main crypt. Several low burning torches illuminated the wooden markers that were scattered through the crypt in a regular fashion, showing where bodies were already located and who had been buried there.

"So." I said, looking around "Why have you brought us here? Surely such a meeting place is not just because of potential listeners."

"No, it's not." he said, stepping past me and approaching a grave against the wall. Looking at it more closely, I was unnerved to see that it bore my name. Reverend John stepped to the side of the grave, and with some effort pushed the wooden top aside, revealing not a coffin as one would expect, but a hidden passageway.

"What is this?" I asked, suddenly interested.

"It leads to the caves beneath the city." he replied, his breath coming quickly from the effort of pushing the heavy wooden slab out of place. "I was told in a dream that a secret space like this might be useful if it could be arranged."

*My doing.* sent Star.

"Yes, your effort is appreciated" I said "Now, unless there is anything else you need dealt with immediately, I would like to rest. It has been a long day, and I need to regain my strength."

"Of course." he exclaimed "I should have considered your feeling more carefully before taking so much of your time. Please forgive me!"

"No forgiveness is needed." I said "Just show me where I may rest." With that, he led me off to show me where I could safely stay and rest until our next move.

**Milota's POV**

_Is this what things feel like before the end?_ I wondered, arms crossed before me as I leaned on the edge of one of the fortress bridges that crossed above a huge lava lake. _A time of calm where things seem to have put you on top of the pile, then something comes __to push you down to the lowest level._

"How are you, love?" asked Zeren, coming up beside me to plant a light kiss on my cheek. Things between us had eased in the time while Void was trapped here, Israphel being too wrapped up in things with Void to need any input from Zeren. I also hoped that Zeren had started to see that, should things come to a head, Void would side with whichever of his chosen was at a higher place, and given that Zeren had still not managed to win back Void's favor, the choice was obvious. But that was probably just me being optimistic, so I did not bring it up to him, knowing how well it had gone last time.

"I'm good." I sighed, a soft smile coming to my lips as I felt his fingers lace with mine. It was nice to take a few moments to relax, to get away from the strain that plagued me constantly. Managing the creatures of the realm was no easy task, especially when we were occupying their realm without any kind of consent. Their disorganization was the only thing that made it possible, most of their lords having fled on Herobrine's command.

"What's bothering you?" asked Zeren, lifting my other hand from the rail and taking it in his opposite hand, forcing us to stand eye to eye. Or at least as close to eye to eye as we could be, given his taller stature. "I can tell that there's something bothering you, you know, more than the usual things."

"Mh, yeah." I sighed, letting go of Zeren's hands and putting my palms on his chest, snuggling against him. In response, he wrapped his arms around me, slipping them up and around my wings so he could massage my back.

"Tell me what's wrong." he said, looking down to whisper his words into my ear.

"It's what's been going on with Vakara." I confessed, closing my eyes. She had been released from where Void was holding her mind hostage years ago, but she hadn't really recovered. It was as if I had a child again, watching her, which might have been nice had she not been a scared adult, haunted by things that she had done and had been done to her. "She's not been getting better, if anything she's gotten worse."

"I'll see what I can do." murmured Zeren into my hair, holding me close "I'm not great at healing, but I remember some of the things Sallen taught me when I was younger."

"Thank you." I sighed "That really means a lot to me."

"Of course." he murmured "I would do almost anything for you, my love."

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, consider leaving a review, they really help me out and motivate my writing. Also, feel free to leave any questions you might have for me or the characters. Anyway, I hope you all have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter! Bye! :D**


	70. Shadow's Travels

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. ****I would like to thank j****onahunited ****for reviewing this week. On with the chapter! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Teloxen's POV**

"Where do you think he's going?" I asked, speaking into the communicator I held in one hand, the other securely clasping the spyglass I had been using to watch figures on the other island. Sallen, Mirexal and I had been doing this for a while now, working on tech based ways to accomplish things like long distance communication and sight. It was mostly so we could do things without every other creature on the island knowing about it, since there was still a fair amount of suspicion that we were working for Void. However, these technologies could also potentially be used to give these abilities to those who could not use the magic required. It would balance skills among different groups, and as Miritayen's chosen, that intrigued me.

"Who, Shadow?" asked Sallen, his voice crackling out of a small speaker on the device. I had spotted the other lord a few hours prior, flying between two of the larger islands and carrying some sort of supplies. "My guess is the Overworld. Wouldn't really need supplies other places, what with how the Endermen supply for his every need."  
"Mh, fair enough." I agreed. "Well, I'm done with this for today, Sallen. I've got things planned later, and Mist gets irritated if I keep her waiting."

"Of course she does." said Sallen, a teasing tone in his voice.

"Not like that." I murmured, flushing in embarrassment at what he was implying.

"Either way." said Sallen, amusement still obvious in his tone. "Just drop your stuff off at the lab and you're good." Nodding, even though Sallen could not see me through the device, I ended the communication. Gathering the items into my bag, I set off for Sallen's lab.

**Shadow's POV**

I blinked my eyes open as the portal I had traveled through spat me out in the Overworld. The warmer temperature of the realm began seeping into my body almost immediately, driving away the chill that I always carried with me from my realm. Stretching, I sighed as the warmth relaxed my muscles. This was one thing that I had always missed about the Overworld, simply because before the Overworld, we had lived in a realm that shared its same warm climate, or at least the climate that was found in its less extreme environments, namely the forests and plains. Looking around, I noted that I was near Steve's castle.

_Well, I guess that answers the question of if I'm going to actually do this._ I thought wryly. _The only __convenient way to get home is in that castle. And there is a convenient Aether portal there too._

*Oh, I wouldn't allow you back in the end until you saw family.* said Illusion cheekily *I don't know how I'd keep you here, but I would find a way. Believe me.*

_I don't doubt that._ I sighed, drawing my wings in to keep them mostly hidden in the folds of my cloak. I didn't really know what I might be dealing with here, so I figured the risk of frightening a few Crafters was probably worth not being caught unawares in Crafter form, unable to channel my powers without risking injury.

*How do you think they will be?* asked Illusion, referring to my brothers *I mean, it has been a hundred years now, which leaves quite a bit of time for change.*

"I don't really know." I sighed, allowing my words to sound aloud as I hiked towards the castle, hoping to appear to simply be a Crafter traveler, at least until I was safe within the castle walls. Reaching a gated entrance in the fortifications, I approached the guard posted there, a bored looking man in dull iron armor. It didn't seem as if there were many visitors to the castle based on his threatened attitude, or if there were, they must not pose much of a threat.

"What da you want?" the man asked, looking me over with a blank expression.

"To enter the castle." I said. Then, remembering something that I had been told long before, I said "The watchword is 'safe family'" The guard looked confused a this, as if it was something that he had never dealt with before.

"Eh, would ya wait here for a minute." he said, slipping through a gate in the guard house. I heard a clang as the first gate closed and another interior door was opened.

_I wonder what that was about._ I thought, peering between the iron grating of the entrance in an effort to see where the guard had gone.

*I don't know* said Illusion *He probably just had to check in with a higher up or something.* A few minutes later, the guard was visible on the other side of the large gate, followed by another figure concealed by a long cloak. They strode past the guard, holding up a hand to their forehead to see through without any influence from the sun's glare. They took a step back in surprise when they saw me, sweeping back their hood to reveal their identity. Shatter.

"Let him in." he said, turning to the guard and motioning for him to comply. The guard shrugged, moving to open the great doors. Apparently, he was not unused to Shatter telling him what to do. The iron barrier was pulled aside, the two halves receding into slots in the wall to allow me passage into the courtyard between the outer walls and main buildings.

"Come with me." said Shatter, glancing over at the guard. Stepping through the gate, I followed him, taking the time to look him over. I had noticed his horns immediately of course, a sheen of his dark cyan magic visible rippling across their silvery surfaces. He seemed to have changed since I had last seen him, which wasn't surprising considering how long it had been, but it was still disconcerting. He seemed to relax when we entered the main building, the air of authority and composure he had held around himself while dealing with the guard slipping.

"We can speak freely here." he said, unclasping his cloak and dropping it backwards across a chair. As it fell, I glimpsed a thin tail swishing sideways to avoid the falling garment. "The only one likely to walk in is Cresilia, we don't have any others in the main building."

"How has she been dealing with things?" I asked, a pang of regret running through me. I hadn't really considered how she would react to what had happened, something I should have spent more time considering.

"Not well." he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "She... well, I should just let you talk to her for yourself. But what I wanted to ask, why are you here in the first place? I mean, something has to have happened to have brought you here."

"I had a feeling." I confessed, sitting down on one of the chairs "I can't really explain it, but it just felt as if one of my, our, brothers was in trouble, and I felt like I had to come and make sure everyone was alright."

"Mh, yeah, I've been feeling a bit odd as well, but I figured it was just part of what I was picking up from Stevie."

"You can still, y'know, feeling things from him?" I asked, surprised by this revaluation.

"Sometimes." he said, looking wistful.

"Sometimes what?" asked Cresilia sleepily, rubbing tiredness from her eyes.

"Sometimes he can feel things from Steve." I said, looking at her "Surely that must bring you at least some reassurance."

"Mh, I suppose." she sighed, shrugging "Course, it could just be all wistful thinking on his part, trying to convince me that there's some hope of him coming back."

*Please don't bring thing up again.* said Shatter unhappily, his tail drooping *She always does this.*

"You don't think that Steve will ever come back?" I asked, surprised and somewhat distressed by her lack of faith.

"Mh, it's nice to dream." she said, looking off into the distance. She snapped back to herself. "But someone has to be realistic. I can't spend forever waiting for something that might never happen."

"I guess." I murmured. I didn't really agree with her, but opinions can differ. I didn't think I could ever stop waiting and searching for some way for Steve to be able to return to us.

*Try to see it from her side.* said Shatter *She may be lady of the Creeper, but even though that will allow her a longer lifespan, she still has no where near as much time as you do. She feels that she has to move on for the sake of her people, and because of that, she would rather have an all or nothing, either Steve here now or not ever.*

_I suppose._ I sent _Still, it's not __reassuring__, given how close they were._

"A question for you both." I said "I know Notch is still in the Aether, that much I can tell, but has any word of where Herobrine is come up recently?" Cresilia shook her head.

"Not that I've heard of." said Shatter "You might ask Notch though. He probably would know where he is, given their link."

"Alright, good to know." I said "Well, I don't want to be a bother. I will be on my way to the Aether now, if I may use your portal."

"Of course." said Shatter.

"Is it still in the same place?" I asked, standing and collecting my thoughts.

"Yes." said Cresilia "Do you remember where it is, or do you need to be shown?"

"No, I'm good." I said "I shall show myself so you don't have to inconvenience yourself any more on my behalf."

"Well, alright." said Shatter "I'll look forward to seeing you again when you return from the Aether, but until then, I hope things go well between you and the others."

"Thank you." I said. I was relieved by the fact that Shatter had been so welcoming, and could only hope that the others felt the same. Leaving Shatter and Cresilia, I made my way through the dim corridors of the castle towards the Aether portal. It was a bit disconcerting to see everything so dark and dusty after the last time I was here, where it had been alive with Crafters keeping things maintained and lively with their presence. The Overworld itself seemed to be keenly aware of how long its lord had been absent, and how Shatter's work, while consistent, could not quite fill the hole left by Steve's absence.

Rounding several more corners, I spotted the blue and yellow glow of the Aether portal. Stepping through, I felt the Overworld shift to the Aether, a realm I had never been entirely comfortable with. I had spent a fair amount of time here yes, but only while Notch was clearly on my side. Right now, I didn't really know how he would react to me being there, given that I had left so abruptly and left them for so long.

Opening myself, I lowered my mental barriers, reaching out to the area on trust that I would not be attacked, in hopes that others would respond in kind. A little ways away, somewhere above me in the castle from what I could tell, I felt Notch's presence.

*So you have returned, brother.* he sent, the power of his realm amplifying his words.

_May I take a few moments of your time to speak with you?_ I asked, deciding to go with the more formal approach on the hunch that it would help placate him a bit.

*You may.* he sent *I shall be down to take you to a place we can speak in a few minutes. Just stay by the portal.*

_Alright._ I murmured, sitting on one of the low benches near the portal. All I could do now was wait and see how things were with Notch and if he knew how things were with Herobrine.

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**A/N:I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Questions for the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	71. Family Conflict

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Not much to say here, so on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast**

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**Notch's POV**

"What is going on with you, Shadow?" I murmured, walking towards where I knew he was waiting for me near the castle portal. It was odd that he had come to my realm now of all times, so soon after what had happened with Herobrine. An uneasy prickle ran down my spine as I considered this. Perhaps Shadow had picked up some ripple of distress from Herobrine, and not knowing the situation, come to find out what had happened. Trouble was, I knew Shadow, and I doubted he would give me the time to explain myself before freaking out about it.

_Ugh, let's get this over with. _I thought, giving my wings a shake and taking a moment to center myself. _The sooner I deal with this, the sooner I can get to cleaning up the mess the traitor caused._

Turning the next corner in the hallway, I arrived at the portal room. Within it, I saw Shadow sitting on one of the benches, talking to one of the Valkyrie representatives, Dianna. She had little love for her people, or at least her father's kind, for it had been them who cast their family out of the Aether.

The Valkyrie council where they lived had deemed that her mother, an Aetherian lord, was not fit to be in a relationship with a Valkyrie. This was because as an Aetherian lord, she was half Crafter. Dianna's father had refused to give up his family, and so they had been banished to the Overworld. I had asked her to come back to the Aether when I had found out, as by that time she was alone, her village overrun by enemies. She had done so reluctantly, but she soon adapted to the Aether again. Her aura was what made her a skilled representative, as it always radiated calm or fear, both of which she used to make the Valkyrie high council listen to our concerns. Right now, her aura radiated calm, sending it rippling across the room. Maybe it would help to keep Shadow from freaking out, though that seemed unlikely.

Shadow looked up as I stepped into the room, breaking off his conversation.

"Dianna, I need to speak with Shadow." I said, making a point of not addressing Shadow directly. If he was going to shout at me or come after me in any way, I wanted to be away from others.

"Of course." she said, standing and straightening her long black robes. Flicking a strand of light green hair from her eyes, she said "I should get back to work anyway. Bye!"

I watched her leave, waiting a few moments to ensure that she was gone before turning to Shadow. "Alright, come with me."

"Couldn't we just talk here?" Shadow asked, confusion tinging his words as he looked at the deserted room.

"No." I said, turning an irritated glare towards him "Someone might be listening. Now, come on!"

"Okay." he said, standing reluctantly and following after me. I led him down a dim corridor to a room I figured was far enough from everything else.

"Alright, so why are you here, Shadow?" I asked, crossing my arms and standing in front of the doorway "I am very busy, what with having to manage two realms and all, and I would appreciate it if you could make this quick."

"It's been a hundred years, I thought you would at least want to say hello first. I... guess I was wrong." Shadow looked away, his tail drooping to flick at the floor around his ankles.

"I never went anywhere, it was you that left." I said in irritation "You could have come back at any time. I bear no responsibility for any loneliness you felt."

**Shadow's POV**

"I know." I sighed, looking out the room's tiny window to avoid meeting his gaze. "Why I came though, I had this feeling that something was... wrong with one of us. I just wanted... needed, to make sure that things were alright."

"Well, I've been fine, aside from the stress and such, so yeah." said Notch, waving a hand dismissively.

"Mh, okay." I said, not quite convinced by his answer, but not wanting to pry. As he had pointed out, I had been the one to leave, so I wasn't really in a position to poke into his business. "Well, I'll be on my way." I said, anxiously wondering how to best phrase my next question. I didn't know the kind of terms that Herobrine and Notch were on now, and I didn't really want to start anything. "Um, so I've been checking in with everyone, and I was wondering if you knew where Herobrine might be right now."

"Ah, him." Notch's tone made it clear that he was less than happy with Herobrine right now. "You won't be finding that traitor around the Overworld right now. Not after what he did."

"Wait, what happened? Is he alright?" I asked, seriously concerned. I knew they fought sometimes, but it would have taken something serious to split them apart enough that Notch would call Herobrine a traitor.

"Who cares if he's alright?" Notch snapped, wings fluttering angrily. "After what he did, he would deserve it."  
"What did he even do?" I asked, aghast. What kind of thing had Herobrine done that had infuriated Notch like this?

"That little traitor released Void and his allies from the Nether!" he hissed, angry colors flashing across his wings.

"And you said he is not in the Overworld." I said carefully, not wishing to enrage him further. "Where is he now, Notch. Do you know?"  
"It is none of your concern." he said, turning away.

"No Notch, it is my concern." I said, spreading my wings slightly and attempting to stare him down. "We're family. I'm invested in keeping track of you all and making an attempt to keep you safe. I haven't been doing that lately, and so I'm trying to make up for that now."  
"It's just like you, siding with Herobrine over me." sneered Notch, crossing his arms and squeezing his eyes closed. "You've just gone straight for the fact that he might be having trouble without even considering what I've told you. He freed Israphel and his allies. What part of this do you not understand?"

"I'm sure there was a reason, something we don't understand about this."

"I can't believe you." said Notch, a look of disgust on his face. "I know what I saw, but you don't believe it."

"And you just keep arguing about how Herobrine is a traitor, when you won't even tell me where he is. I've got half a mind to force the words out of you, you immature child. No matter what he did, it doesn't give you permission to harm him, not by your own discretion at least. Is this how you've been dealing with things? By taking it out on others?"

"All of this, and I'm the immature one?" shouted Notch, furious flashes of crimson darting across his wings. "I went through the same thing you did, but I didn't hide myself away from the world all this time. No, I moved on for the sake of all of us!"

"How can you say that?" I demanded, eyes blazing and long tendrils of magic pooling around me, stirred to life by his words. "You tried to replace him, to remove what little influence he has left among his people and replace it with your own."

"No Shadow, I showed them the truth." snapped Notch "I gave them hope that there was someone actually watching over them, not just the unfulfilled promises Steve left behind. Face it, Steve is never coming back, and we've got to move on."

"How dare you say such a thing!" I shrieked, streams of power lashing out at the other lord as I momentarily lost all control over the roiling mass of power within me. "You dishonor his name with such statements. He will return, and when he does, he will deal with you personally for the influence you have put into his realm."  
"You should go now." said Notch as he turned away, his words forced into a calmer tone than before as he made an effort to contain his emotions. "Come and see me again when you feel like being a part of the real world. Until then, go back to your fantasy island and dream away your days while your people suffer. I shall not let those under my watch end up the same way." With that, he left the room, a scattering of bright sparks of magic trailing behind him, remnants of his flashes of wild emotions.

*Well, that could have gone better.* sent Illusion, the first words he had said in a while.

_Yeah._ I sighed, turning towards the doorway. I slowly paced back towards the portal, stewing about how Notch had reacted to my statements and my presence in general. A part of me was furious about how he had dismissed my concern about Herobrine, but I was also aware that he was right, at least in part. I did tend to give Herobrine more benefit of the doubt than I did for Notch. This was mostly because Herobrine had a knack for getting himself into situations that were not really his fault in any way. Even so, I had to take Notch's words to heart. I had felt traces of chaos power rising that suggested that at least a portion of what Notch had said was true.

_The first priority is finding Herobrine and making sure he is alright._ I thought, carefully working to rebuild my mental defenses. I had accidentally shattered my barriers when I had lost control during Notch and my confrontation, and I didn't want to be caught unprepared should the chaos lords actually show themselves.

*Then, when you know what happened, you can work with the others to deal with it.* sent Illusion *You wouldn't want to be hypocritical in your advice towards Notch, now would you?*

_Makes __sense._ I said, rounding the last corner before the portal.

"Pst, Shadow, over here." I heard someone hiss. Surprised, I looked towards the source of the sound. Jeb stood across from me on the opposite side of the doorway to the portal room, his gaze anxiously darting past me and flicking back over his shoulder every so often. "Dianna told me you were talking to Notch." he said, darting over to my side of the corridor. "I heard you two talking and it didn't sound like anything nice."  
"How come we couldn't sense you?" I asked, reaching out a tendril of magic. Sure enough, I could still only feel Jeb's presence when I concentrated very closely on it, even though he was standing directly in front of me.

Jeb reddened slightly, looking away. "My lady cares quite a lot about what happens to me, and I wanted to help you, so she said she would keep my actions secret."

"Alright, fair enough." I said "So what can you do to help me?"

"I know where Herobrine is being held." said Jeb, his voice lowered "And I know how to get there. I can help you get him out of here."

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I would like to thank Beansy for their OC, Dianna. As always, please consider leaving a review, they really help me to know what you guys do and don't like about this story. Any questions for me or the characters that you might have can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	72. Aether Rescue

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I would like to thank Beansy for reviewing this week. On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast**

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**Shadow's POV**

At Jeb's words, a flurry of emotions overcame me. Hope, concern, relief, but most notably, disbelief. It didn't seem possible that after all the times Jeb had spoken against Herobrine while I had been in the Aether and Herobrine in the Overworld, that he would suddenly decide to side with Herobrine's best interest, against Notch's word no less.

"You're serious, right?" I asked, wanting to make sure. For all I knew, this could be some sort of elaborate trap, designed to show that I was a traitor or something of the sort, like Notch believed Herobrine to be. Despite that likelihood, I felt a trust of his word, something that went against all my prior assumptions about him.

"I wouldn't kid about something like that." he said seriously, his gaze continuing to flick up and down the hallway in search of any threats. "Just saying something like that could get me in trouble, so it's not a joking matter."

"Alright." I said, my voice lowered to almost nothing "Show me."

"Alright, follow me. We need a safe place to do this." He led me down several long hallways and flights of stairs until we were deep within the lower levels of the castle, in very much the same type of area where Void had tried to use me to harm Teloxen.

"In here." he whispered, pulling open a door and stepping inside, gesturing for me to follow. Complying, I stepped inside, noticing immediately the difference between it and the rest of the castle. Where the majority of the castle complex was stone brick of various sizes and patterns, the walls of this room were lined with bluish teal stone. Cream lanterns edged with teal provided lighting for the room, sending a soft, even glow across the room's work stations and the construct that dominated the back. At first, I couldn't tell what it was, there were simply so many strings of solid magic wrapped around it. Looking closer though, the shape of a portal became clear. It was inactive, which was what had kept it from being immediately identifiable, for it lacked the blue swirls that characterized active Aether portals.

"What is this place?" I asked, looking around.

"One of my safe rooms." said Jeb, closing the door tightly and pulling a set of iron bars over it. I eyed the bars warily, still not sure if this was a trap or not.

"Why do you need a safe room?" I asked, slightly suspicious. "Surely, you of all people have things pretty good here. There can't be much you have to conceal."

"I resent what you're implying, but I'll excuse it because of what's going on with your family." he replied, voice kept carefully even. "There are many projects that I do on my own, and for my lady that cannot be revealed without causing problems. As you know, Notch is not the easiest to deal with, especially if he finds out you've been doing something he doesn't agree with behind his back."

"I guess so." I murmured "I apologize, I should not have assumed."

"It's fine."

"So what is this for then?" I asked, gesturing at the portal.

"Hopefully what you'll be using to get out of here with Herobrine, if things go as planned." he said "It's a portal I've been working on, one that through a great deal of work I have managed to isolate from Notch's control while still having it connected to the usual portal networks. We'd hardly want to have gotten Herobrine out of where he is held only for Notch to catch us trying to escape through a portal he can control the use of."

"Makes sense." I nodded "Does it work?"

Jeb hesitated. "It should. I've done some tests that show promising things and my lady assured me that it will work, but I can't actually try the thing without Notch knowing."

"Well, assuming that it does work." I said "When Notch feels the portal light, he's going to know you're involved in this. Is that something you are willing to deal with?"  
"He's going to know long before then, believe me." sighed Jeb "I've made my choice when it comes to this, and Notch is going to have to deal with that fact."

"What do we need to do now?" I asked, anxious. From what Notch had said, Herobrine wasn't in a good position, and the longer we left him there, the more nervous I felt.

"Herobrine is being kept in an underground room a little ways from here. There's no way in or out save for one teleport spot. Now, I know where it is, so I can get us there, but once in, we have to move quickly. That's as far as I've been able to go, and as soon as we arrive, I'm sure Notch will know. Got it?"

"Yes." I said. The sooner we got going, the sooner we would be able to help Herobrine. "Any idea what state he will be in? I... I would like to prepare myself for what I might see."

"No, sorry. I haven't seen him since Notch brought him back, but I doubt he's going to be unscathed. There has to be something that's keeping him penned in.

"Alright." I murmured. Jeb held out his hand, a sign for me to get ready to teleport. Making sure I had a secure hold on my magic, I placed my hand in his.

A wave of energy surged through me as we teleported, Jeb's energy racing through me as he worked to get us both to the right place. Flashes of alarm magic rippled through the area as we reached our destination, a sure sign that Notch would be coming shortly to see what was going on.

"Be quick." said Jeb, closing his eyes in an effort to recover more quickly from the teleport. "I might be able to keep him at bay for a while, but he's stronger than I am."

"Got it." Turning my attention to the rest of the room, I saw that it was mostly empty, a few sparse furnishings more for utility than anything else. Laid out on a table was an array of diamond tools and weapons, things that could belong to Herobrine. Scooping up the variety of items, I opened myself carefully to the magic plane, seeking out Herobrine's presence since he didn't seem to be in the room. At this point, it was more likely that Herobrine was somehow concealed than it was that Jeb was setting me up, simply because of the risks he was taking. I felt his presence almost immediately, weak and unresponsive but still easily identifiable. Following it to the back portion of the room, I found that what I had previously assumed to be a solid wall was in fact a cloth covering. Drawing it aside, I was greeted with a view of a transparent crystalline panel. Beyond it, I could sense heavy shielding, and placing my hand on it's surface, I felt the almost electric sting of enchanted locks. They would need light power at the very least to open, if not Notch's power specifically.

"Uh, Jeb, going to need your help over here." I called.

"Coming." he hissed, wincing as some mental attack hit him. Stepping over, he placed his hand on the surface, closing his eyes as he worked to unlock the panel. Sweat trickled down his face as he worked, the amount of magic he was using to open the locks and keep Notch away at the same time taking its toll.

At last, the final lock clicked open, a section of the wall sliding aside to send freezing air into the room where we stood. Bracing myself, I stepped inside. Immediately, I had to rush to regain my balance, the floor being made of some slippery material. Looking down, I was quick to identify it. Icestone. Known in the Aether mostly for its intense chilling properties. No wonder Herobrine was not doing well.

Turning back to ask Jeb a question, I froze, the words fading on my lips and from my mind as I caught sight of Herobrine. He was curled into a ball in one of the closer corners of the room, where the wall met with the crystal entryway. Making my way to where he lay, I started to get a better picture of the state he was in. And it was not a very pretty image. What I could see of his skin was blue, a coating of frost covering a good portion of his body. That was especially worrying, considering that as a firelord, his body temperature should be almost twice as high as that of a regular builder. Thick bindings were present on his wrists and ankles, edged with trails of blood that showed they were not simply bound around his limbs. I was put off by the mark on his forehead though, something that threw me for a loop and made me question against my better judgment if Notch was right after all. A black circle with a purple tinted center was visible there, a mark I was unfortunatly familiar with. Void's rune mark.

Frozen for a moment with internal conflict, Illusion broke me out of my daze. *Worry about what it means later. Right now, you have to get him out of here before Notch catches you and does something like this to you.* Nodding, I knelt beside Herobrine, examining the bands around his limbs. They didn't seem to actually be securing him to anything, so what purpose did they serve? Placing a hand on one, I got my answer. Magic drain. They kept power from being accessed and could strip an individual of their powers should they get out of control. They were the kind of things that were used on criminals, killers who could not be contained in any other way. And Notch had gone so far as to use them on Herobrine.

_Ideas on how to get them off?_ I asked Illusion _I've never seen it done. I'm not even a hundred percent sure it can be done by anyone other than the one who set them._

*Let me have a go.* said Illusion *I have an idea that might work.* Allowing Illusion control, I watched as he drew several complicated runes in the air before touching each of the bands in turn. I felt a rush of power leave our body as he finished, the four bands glistening for a moment before dissolving into powder.

_How did you do that? _I asked, astounded. Illusion smiled, pleased with himself, before returning control to me.

*It's a Chaos lord thing.* he sent *You don't spend years working with them without picking up a few of their tricks.*

"Fair enough." I breathed, wincing at the sight of the wounds that had been concealed beneath the bands. Promising to deal with them when we were somewhere safe, I picked up Herobrine's freezing form, hugging him close. Curling my wings around him, I made my way back to the other room, where Jeb was waiting.

"You good?" he breathed, panting slightly from the sheer amount of energy he had been using.

"Yeah." I nodded "Let's get out of here."

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so please consider leaving a review. You can also leave questions for the characters in a review or PM them to me. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	73. Hunting and Confronting

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Nothing much to say, so on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast**

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**Notch's POV**

I was struggling to calm myself down after meeting with Shadow, when I felt a flash of alarm magic ripple through my senses. Baring my teeth in irritation, because of course it had to be right after dealing with one of my intrusive brothers that someone would stumble upon my secret.

_Maybe it's just another false alarm._ I thought, reaching out towards the hidden prison with the intent of discovering what had gone wrong. It had happened several times before for various reasons, either stray magics setting it off or the traitor channeling brief bursts of magic into the walls in an effort to keep himself warm in the frigid room where he was kept prisoner. As I touched the magic that warded the prison though, I immediately knew that this was not just another routine false alarm. The area was awash with traces of Shadow's aura, mixed to my surprise with the distinct mark of Jeb's magic. How was he involved in all of this?

As I sought to reach closer and sense more of the area before teleporting in, I felt a wave of light magic smash into me like a wall. Patches of pure order magic, presumably from Destiny, flashed before my senses for a moment before changing to the same light magic found around them.

_What are you doing, Jeb?_ I hissed, my sending managing to slip through a small hole in the barrier _You know what the traitor has done, so what are you hoping to accomplish with this? Surely you cannot believe he actually deserves anything different._

*What I think is my business.* hissed Jeb, pushing back against the probing touch of my magic *And I don't have to follow you like a helpless child. I'm not your chosen, for Aether's sake! That would be Notchie. We may be friends, we may be linked, but we are still different people!*

_That does not give you the right to meddle in my private affairs!_ I exclaimed. My words seemed to go unheeded though, as if Jeb had turned his attention elsewhere. Sensing his distraction, I slammed against the barrier, feeling a portion of it splinter at the contact.

A moment later, I felt faint ripples as someone tampered with the locks within the prison. Jeb's barrier was still up, so the simple reactions of my magic were all I had to go on when it came to what was taking place within the room.

_Uhg, of all the times he had to disagree._ I thought in irritation, crashing into the barrier once more in an attempt to break it down. _All the times before, when I wanted to help Herobrine, he would freak out about it. But now, when I thought for once we would be on the same page, he decides to turn over a new leaf._ Gathering my power in preparation to make another swipe at the wall, I felt something shift within the wall's surface. On a hunch, I drove a single spear of energy into a point a little ways from the center. Almost immediately, the wall of light fell to pieces, shards of Jeb's power falling around me as I sought him out. Sending probing tendrils of magic into the prison, I didn't find any sign of Jeb, or more worryingly, Herobrine.

Throwing caution to the wind since Herobrine was either already free or he was still restrained in his bonds, I dissolved the wards around the prison, allowing me to throw a full sheet of magic over the area to quickly detect who was in the area. I didn't sense any of the ones I was looking for in the area, so I hurriedly changed tactics, mentally cursing the other lords.

Keeping a portion of my senses turned outwards, I reached for my link with Jeb, stealthily tracing it until I reached his aura. Opening myself, I quickly sought out the coordinates of his location before backing off, not wishing to be detected before I arrived. They were sure to know I was looking for them, but the less knowledge they had about exactly when I would show up, the better. Keeping the coordinates in mind, I closed my eyes, drawing my aura in as I prepared to teleport.

**Shadow's POV**

I shifted my grip on Herobrine as we teleported back to where Jeb's Aether portal was located, not wishing to drop him accidentally. He was already hurt enough without any clumsiness on my part adding to that damage.

"Eugh, I am not going to do that again if I'm given half a choice about it." Jeb murmured.

"Was it really that bad?" I asked.

"Well, it wasn't great." sighed Jeb, composing himself "When I teleported us here, I let my concentration slip on my barrier, so Notch was able to shatter it. Now, I'm going to be dredging bits of my magic out of the mix around here for ages."

"That's not great." I admitted.

"Eh, it's my problem." said Jeb, shrugging. "Let's focus on getting you out of here." Turning away, he bent down to fiddle with something on the side of the portal. While I waited, I touched a gently strand of magic to Herobrine's aura, flinching back slightly as I felt how cold his aura was. It was almost still, with only the faintest of movements weakly flickering through it.

_Poor dear._ I sent softly, gently wrapping bands of magic around his aura. All I wanted to do was wrap him in warmth, but that could hurt him greatly if I wasn't careful about how I did it. I needed to gradually increase the temperature of both his body and aura, otherwise there could be damage done to both from a disconnect between the two. And even if that was done right, his body could have already been severely damaged by how long it had been kept in such a cold environment.

"Are we good?" I asked as Jeb stood, dusting off his hands.

"Should be." he replied, grabbing a bucket of water out of one of the chests. As he turned back to pour the bucket into the portal, a surge of light power filled the room. A flash of light accompanied the fluctuation, and when it cleared, Notch was standing in the room between us, arms crossed and a furious expression on his face.

_Well, this isn't going to be good._ I thought, pulling my tail protectively closer around Herobrine's waist.

"Why, hello Shadow." Notch hissed, stalking towards me "Care to explain why you're still here, and how you happened to end up with the traitor curled up in your arms?"

"I'm trying to right the wrong you have committed." I snapped, quietly building up my wards to wrap around not only myself, but Herobrine as well. I had felt the scorching rays of Notch's wrath when he was younger, and it was not something that I was looking forward to feeling again. But more importantly, I didn't want any harm to come to Herobrine from that source. No matter how much Notch called him traitor and claimed to be completely against him, I knew that it would break something inside of Notch if he caused permanent harm to Herobrine, or stars forbid, something worse. There was after all, a reason that he had resorted to locking Herobrine away in a hidden prison rather than just ending things, as he likely would have done with another opponent.

"Notch, he's just trying to make things right." said Jeb, taking a step towards the other light lord.

"Keep out of this Jeb, I'll deal with you later." snapped Notch. Turning to me, he said "as always, one chance. Give him up, and you can leave unchallenged. If you choose to reject my generous offer, well let's just say the traitor is not the only one I can make prisons for."

"What do you think the answer is?" I yelled, wondering if he honestly thought that I would ever consider giving up Herobrine after what had already been done to him.

"So be it." said Notch, dipping his head. As he raised his hands to cast some spell, a hazy, unfocused look came to his eyes. He blinked several times, looking confused, before he stumbled over sideways, to fall against one of the tables. Surprised, I looked down at him, not really sure exactly what had just happened.

"That... worked better than I expected." gasped Jeb, his breath coming quickly, presumably from the magic he had just done.

"What did you even do?" I asked. Sure, I had wanted to get out of here safely with Herobrine, but I didn't want to do any permanent damage to Notch. Misguided as he seemed to be and prone to jumping to conclusions, he did honestly have the best intentions of his realm and the Overworld at heart.

"Used some pure order magic Destiny gave me to temporarily take over part of his aura." he panted "Then I messed with a few pathways until his body went unconscious in an effort to figure out what was going on. But I've got to keep a hold on his aura to keep it from sorting things out too quickly, and it's not easy. It's like being two different people at once, and one of those people is fighting you for all they're worth."

Turning back towards his portal, he dumped the bucket of water through it, triggering the rush of blue swirls to come flowing across it's surface.

"There you go." he said, gesturing towards the gateway "Be safe. I don't know when I will see you next."

"Why don't you come with us?" I asked him "You'll be safe. Notch is hardly going to be pleased with you after this, and it probably won't turn out well. We could use another healer on our side if things come to conflict."

"No, I can't do that." said Jeb, smiling wistfully "While it would probably be safer for me to go, I couldn't do that to Notch, not after everything he's been through. He's slowly loosing everyone close to him to one thing or another, and I couldn't leave, not when he would be left almost entirely alone. No, you take Herobrine somewhere safe, and I'll try to hold things together here. I'll put my faith in my lady that she can keep me safe from whatever Notch tries to do as punishment for all of this."

"Well, I hope thinks work out." I said, stepping into the portal.

As I transported to the Overworld, I felt Jeb send faintly *I hope so too. Be safe.*

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review, they help me to judge what you guys like and want to see more of. Any questions for me or the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	74. Finding and Hunting

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. ****I would like to thank ****Squid God Zwifel ****for reviewing this week. On with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast**

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**Shatter's POV**

I felt a fluctuation as some unusual portal was opened between the Overworld and another realm.

_Would you recognize this link, Stevie?_ I wondered briefly, closing my eyes and sending out light tendrils to figure out where the connection was. Oddly though, the link seemed slight, not enough to be from a true portal, but still far too much to just be from an individual teleporting around.

"Hey, Cresilia." I called "I'm going to go check something out. Don't wait up on me to eat, I'll just make something when I get back." A soft sound of acknowledgment came from the next room over, Cresilia being too engrossed in whatever she was doing to reply further.

Walking out to the edge of the castle, I wandered around the wall, searching for the source of the signal. It was faint enough that I couldn't really get a good read on exactly where it was, so I couldn't simply teleport to it. As soon as it had come though, the signal faded, leaving behind only faintly dispersing ripples.

_Uh oh._ I murmured, struggling to pinpoint the ripple's source before the rapidly weakening signal faded completely. My task was made a bit easier by the fact that I was a good deal closer to the signal than I had been when I first felt it, but that didn't mean there was no effort involved. Concentrating hard, I managed to trace one of the few remaining trails back to a source, their location a few dozen more blocks along the wall.

Hurrying carefully, for I did not know what awaited me, I peeked around the last bend in the castle wall. Curled in the tall grass was at first seemed to be a ball of dark purple and black feathers. Looking more closely though, I saw that the feathery shapes were wings, pulled tightly around not only their owner, but another curled within their arms. Reaching out gently, I realized that the dark feathered one was Shadow, his faint presence becoming more distinct as the ripples of whatever brought them here trailed away. Even as I drew my touch away, his eyes slowly blinked open, squinting as the glare of the setting sun dazzled his vision

"Shatter?" he said, his words seeming to seek confirmation. "Well, that suggests we ended up in the Overworld at least."

"What happened?" I asked, reaching out a hand to help him up.

"We used one of Jeb's portals to leave." he grunted, shifting his grip on whoever he was carrying to grab my hand. "They're not the most stable things, and I had a lot less power to work with than I expected, thanks to this one." He nodded towards whoever was bundled in his arms.

*It's not his fault.* said Illusion *He didn't ask to be covered in ice.*

"Who is he?" I asked hesitantly, quite confused about what was going on here. I was at such an angle that I could not tell the person's identity.

"Herobrine." grunted Shadow, shifting his grip yet again to flick trails of water off one arm. "Notch had him locked up in a frozen prison, so we bailed him out."

"Why would he do that?" I asked, genuinely confused. From what I had heard, Herobrine and Notch had been on genuinely good terms for a while now.

"I don't know the whole story, but I'm guessing that the mark on his forehead, Void's rune, has something to do with it." He said, brushing Herobrine's hair away from the area he had mentioned.

"Doesn't that mean there might have been a legitimate reason for locking him away?" I asked, taking a slight step back from the two of them. Unlikely as it was that Herobrine might have deserved whatever treatment left him in this state, I didn't really want to take a chance with something like that. It had taken long enough to cleanse the Overworld of even the majority of Israphel's influence, and that was not something I ever wanted to do again.

"There could have been." said Shadow "But there might not have been. Either way, it's not Notch's duty to punish Herobrine without any proof of what he did."

"I guess." I sighed.

"Anyway, I'd best be going, I need to get Herobrine home so he can recover." said Shadow "I'm going to need to use your End portal to get home. Normally I'd just try a teleport, but after what happened last time, I don't think I want to risk it."

"What happened then?' I asked "Your aura was so weak when I first felt it, I could barely find you."

"Water." said Shadow, raising his arm and pulling back his sleeve to reveal the flesh beneath. It was streaked with raised marks, traces left behind when water had come into contact with his skin, pulling the magic trapped within Shadow to itself and weakening him. "Jeb's portal wasn't the most stable, so I was using my power to keep our position stable, and the heat of the transit was enough to begin melting the frost on Herobrine. So that started sucking up my powers, and one thing led to another, and here I am."

"Well, fair enough." I said, shrugging slightly at his response "I don't want to keep you, so you can be on your way."

"Oh, before I forget." said Shadow as he turned to make his way to the End portal below the castle. "Things seem to be pointing towards Israphel and Void either escaping from the Nether soon, or already being free, so that's something you might want to watch out for."

"I will." I assured Shadow "Be safe." With that he left, taking Herobrine along with him as he went to the End portal below.

**Israphel's POV**

_So let me get this straight._ I sent to Void with some skepticism _You want me to go and actively antagonize__ those two little pets Herobrine was watching over. And this is so that they'll follow me and come right to where we have set up our camp._

*Pretty much, yeah.* said Void.

_Now, why would I want to do that?_ I asked _Wasn't the entire purpose of this to get out of the Nether and stay on the down low while the Realmkind fought thinks out._

*Plans change. It's more beneficial to deal with these two would-be heros now, before they grow in strength or ally themselves with Notch or one of the other Realmkind. It's not like they actually ever knew that it was Herobrine who watched them, or that they were watched at all for that matter, so it would be simple enough for another lord to take up that position and influence them.*

_Why shouldn't we be that lord?_ I asked _Surely it would be better to simply bring them over to our side._

*That's a risk I'd rather not take.* said Void *I don't know if you've seen our group lately, but we're not exactly the most trustworthy looking characters. Added to that, Honeydew has probably heard something about either you or I, at least in passing from rumors or stories. As for Xephos, we don't really know where we stand with him. So I'd feel a lot more comfortable if we simply dealt with them.*

_I suppose._ I sighed. Baring my teeth in enjoyment, I sent _At least I'll get in some good target practice. And it won't hurt my spirits to hunt them knowing it will further break Herobrine's spirit when he finds out._

Closing my eyes, I warped towards the cave where the two of them were living, using the portal as a reference point, for it sent out a much more distinct and far reaching presence in the magic plane than either of my targets.

Finishing my teleport, I hurriedly concealed myself behind a tree, surprised to find the two of them wandering around the portal, investigating the changes Star had made to conceal the ritual. As I watched, Xephos stood in the portal for a moment before sighing loudly in irritation as it failed to send him anywhere. Clearly a portion of Herobrine's magic was still in place around this, and it was enough to keep the pair of them out of the lava filled realm.

"Come on Notch, fix this." shouted Xephos to the sky, invoking the name of what I assumed was the only lord he knew of. After a few more minutes of milling around, Xephos urged his dwarven friend to help him gather the materials they had left by the portal.

"Come on!" he called over his shoulder as the smaller being grabbed the last of the items. "I've been working on making the base better, and I want to work on it some more before it gets dark."

Waiting for an opportunity to present itself, I followed after the,, growing bored after several hours of listening to conversations about housing styles and speculations of who might have been responsible for all the odd things in the area. I knew of course, that the great majority of them had been caused by Star, spending her time messing with the two of them while Texolauren had worked on his spell, but I was hardly going to chime in and tell them that.

Mining a few blocks so I could reach the top of the mountain their base was built into, I stiffened as I felt a pair of eyes lock onto my position, curiously searching for something even though I was still concealed.

"Hey, Honeydew, what's that up there?" Xephos asked, gazing up through a recently opened hole in the ceiling, something they had made in anticipation of base expansion.

"Where?" Honeydew asked, staring upwards. "I don't see anything."

"It's right there." Xephos insisted "It's like... a name-tag or something." At this, a slight chill ran through me. I really wanted to brush off Xephos' words as coincidence, just some fantasy of his that happened to guess my location. But there was another possibility, one I didn't really want to consider. There was a branch of magic, code, that allowed the users to literally see within the building blocks of a realm and use them as tools, fundamentally changing things to work their way. It was a skill that could be learned with a great deal of difficulty, but there were a few of them that were naturally born with that power. What Xephos was describing, it seemed to be the most basic, untrained version of natural code, allowing him to identify individuals based on tags only he could see.

"Why can't I see it?" asked Honeydew, squinting upwards.

"Try to see past what's there." called Xephos "Squint and focus."

"Oh, that's weird." said Honeydew in surprise, eyes opening wide.

"Can you see it now?" asked Xephos "It would make me feel a bit better if I wasn't the only one.

"Yeah, it's faint, but if I focus I can sort of see something." said Honeydew.

_Interesting._ I thought. It seemed that Xephos had been able to impart a portion of his gift to Honeydew, either through his presence or simply having stumbled upon a way to teach the absolute basics. _With this development though, I agree with Void on taking them out._ I thought _There's just too much of a chance of trouble to leave them __unaligned__, and Xephos could probably read us enough to tell our intentions are not the purest. _Satisfied that this was the proper course of action, I climbed to the top of the rise, hearing their gasps of surprise at the sight of me. I pulled out my bow as I gauged the distance, trying to decide what the best way would be to take out the pair.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review, they help me to know what you guys like. Also, are there any POV you all would like to see or see more of? Any questions for me or the characters can also be left in a review or Pm'ed to me. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	75. Luring and Caring

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Not much to say, so on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Minecraft, the Yogscast or Shadow of Israphel**

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**Israphel's POV**

"Why won't you stand still?" I hissed as Xephos lept aside from my first volley of arrows, dragging his dwarven companion along with him towards the shelter of the ceiling overhead. As they moved, I heard a flurry of phrases from Honeydew, their content lost on the wind. Attempting to readjust my aim, I saw that Xephos was in the process of erecting a wall of dirt to separate them from my line of sight, with Honeydew quickly moving to assist in that. I shot a few more arrows at them in a halfhearted attempt to hit them, but the angle was wrong and it didn't accomplish anything.

"Well, Void didn't expect me to get them now anyway." I murmured, working my way down the other side of the mountain. They were expecting me to be towards the top portion of the cliff, so maybe their visual search of that area would distract them from the fortifications they were building, allowing me to get a shot in from another side.

Reaching the front door of their home though, I discovered this was not to be the case. The wall they had built continued completely across the width of the space, dividing it into two separate rooms. As I considered what to do next, I heard Honeydew yell through the wall "Peace! We want to be friends!"

Freeing my senses ever so slightly, I smirked at what I could feel of his true sentiments, which had little to do with being my friend. "Well, there's no getting at them from this side." I murmured "And I don't know what state the back entrance is in after Star's trap, so that's probably not the best tactic." Glancing back through the trees towards the frozen lake that lay between this place and our stronghold, a new plan began to manifest itself in my mind.

"Now, let's see if this works." I murmured, moving away from their dwelling. "Come on little would-be adventurers, follow me." They seemed to have an almost unrivaled level of curiosity from what I had seen before, and if that trend held here, they would be more than eager to follow an unknown entity around in the dark.

Sure enough, it was only a few minutes later when the pair of them dug their way out of their safe haven to pursue me, bringing with them only the minimal equipment they carried with them at all times. I chuckled as Xephos dodged out of the way of an arrow fired by a skeletal archer, amused at how he and his companion instantly blamed the shot on me, their unknown adversary.

_Yes, that's it, keep following._ I thought, continuing on across the ice. _We will be waiting for you with great anticipation._

**Shadow's POV**

"Ugh, that wasn't great." I sighed, twisting my wings out from under myself, wincing as the movement sent streaks of pain along my wings and across my back. The End portal had dumped me in the usual place, but I had needed to focus on keeping Herobrine's unprotected aura from falling to pieces as we went between realms, as well as keeping it from trying to merge with my own aura, something that would be quite hard to explain no matter how it ended up. Regardless, the divided focus that had induced left me off balance, making me fall backwards, with the full weight of both myself and Herobrine crushing my wings.

"This is going to hurt." I winced, managing to get to my feet without dropping Herobrine or injuring my wings any further, something that took quite a bit of concentration. Weakly, for my power was still depleted from the water that had melted onto me, I reached out, searching for the aura of someone I knew would be there for me, Lani.

Feeling her presence on the edge of my limited senses, I gently brushed it with a light tendril of power.

*Shadow?* she asked, soft, searching tendrils of her own aura brushing against mine. *What happened? Why are you in a state like this?*

_It's a long story. _I hissed, letting out a gasp of pain as I tripped on a slightly uneven door threshold, attempting to prevent myself from driving either Herobrine or my wings into the sides of the frame. _Can you come to the Overworld castle portal outlet? I need you here, to help deal with something._

*Alright.* she said, her voice somewhat hesitant *I'll be right over.*

_Thank you, love._ I whispered, leaning against the wall and closing my eyes.

It could not have been more than a few minutes later when she appeared around the corner, though that time felt so much longer as I stood waiting, in pain and worried about Herobrine's condition.

Looking me over, a look of grave concern crossed her face, one hand reaching out to lay gentle fingers on my lower arm.

"What happened?" she asked, taking in the sight of Herobrine and myself. "Surely it was not simply your trip to the Overworld that caused this."

"No, not exactly." I admitted, trying to shift my wings to a more comfortable position with little success. "But that couldn't really be helped. I mean, I couldn't just leave Herobrine behind after I found out what happened, now could I?"

"And what did happen to you?" asked Lani, looking perplexed "He looks like he's been through a lot, the poor thing."

"Yeah, he has." I sighed "I'll tell you about it in a bit, but right now all I want to do is be able to put him down and see what the full extent of his injuries are. He's not exactly light, and the water from the melting frost isn't helping with that at all."

"Melting frost?" asked Lani. "No, don't tell me now." she said, waving her hand dismissively "I can hold my curiosity for a while. That at least explains the drain on your powers though."

"Yeah." I sighed.

"Anyway, let me help you with him." she said "Do you want me to carry him, or what?"

"Helping is fine." I said. I hardly wanted her to have her magic taken by the water as mine had been.

*Don't listen to him, Lani.* said Illusion *He's trying to protect you from having a slight drain on your power from the water, and as a result of that he's going to cause himself some significant damage if he doesn't be extremely careful.*

At Illusion's words, a resolute expression manifested itself on Lani's face. She held out her arms in front of me, gesturing for me to hand Herobrine to her. "Give him to me, Shadow." she said.

"No, it's fine Lani, really. I've got this."

"Give. Now." she said, steely resolution clear in her eyes. "I can take care of myself Shadow, I don't need you to put yourself at risk for my sake."

"Alright." I sighed. I knew when I had lost something like this with Lani, and any further protest would only serve to upset her more. Carefully, I pulled my tail back from where it had been tucked around Herobrine for the last while. Taking a step forwards, I lowered Herobrine into her arms, slightly nervous as I loosed my grasp.

"You good?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yep." she said, bracing herself "It's not far to the med area anyway, I can carry him at least that far after how long you seem to have been carrying him around."

"Alright." I said, letting go of my hold on Herobrine. Lani stumbled slightly as she adjusted to the extra weight, but quickly recovered.

"Come along, love." she said, draping her tail across my lower back to guide me forwards. As she moved though, she brushed up against my wings, sending arching rays of pain through me. Squeezing my eyes tightly closed for a moment, I struggled to center myself withing the fury of the pain running through my body.

"Shadow, are you alright?" asked Lani with some concern, turning back to look me over.

"Yeah." I gasped, another wave of pain shooting up my wings.

"I'll trust your word for now." said Lani, her voice laced with suspicion. "But after we have Herobrine in a safe place where we can get him checked out, I'm going to find out if you're really okay, as well as what happened to put you both in this condition."

"Yes Lani." I said meekly. When Lani issued a verdict like that, it was best to just go along with it. Doing my best to keep my wings still, I followed her to the med area. Gently, she lowered Herobrine onto one of the cushioned tables, ensuring that the sliding sides were pulled up enough to keep him from rolling off should he shift while unconscious.

"So, what happened to him?" Lani asked, going over to the cupboard and bringing out supplies to clean the open wounds present on his wrists and ankles.

"Notch." I sighed, making a move to sit on one of the chairs.

"No, not for you." said Lani, stepping over to push the chair back in. "Get up on one of the tables. I'm dealing with you after I help Herobrine. I'm sure you were just trying to be tough and play it cool earlier, but there is something wrong with you, I can tell. And I won't think any less of you for admitting it."

"Alright." I murmured "But after you help Herobrine. He could be in a lot of trouble if we don't sort things out for him."

"So what happened?" she asked, looking up from the injury she was cleaning. "And does it have something to do with this mark here?" She gestured towards the mark on Herobrine's forehead.

"Yes, it does." I said "The short version of what happened is that Notch blames Herobrine for Void and Israphel being released into the Overworld once more, so he took matters into his own hands to punish Herobrine. Poor Herobrine has been locked up in an ice-stone prison for at least a week. When I found him, he was covered in frost, and I have yet to get a significant reaction out of him."

"Alright." said Lani "So he needs to be slowly warmed up, and for someone to watch over him until it's determined if he's alright, if I get what you're saying."

"Yes." I said, dipping my head in acknowledgment.

"Alright." she replied. "Mirage, can you see if Tanya can come down and watch Herobrine for us? I know you said she's dealt with some pretty serious injuries before."

*Of course.* sent Mirage *I'm sure she would be fine with that. She finished up her latest lab project yesterday, so you won't be disturbing anything like that.*

"Alright, thanks Mirage." said Lani. "Now," she said, turning her attention to me "What's wrong?"

"Most of it's just from the water." I said, watching her pull several blankets out of a cupboard and pull them around Herobrine to help warm him. "But some of it is from when I used the portal to come here. I kind of fell on my wings when we ended up here, and they hurt quite a lot."

"Show me." she said, taking a step behind me and gesturing for me to spread my wings. Reluctantly I compiled, trying and failing to keep silent my soft cries of pain as the movement needed to spread my wings once again started the pain flowing through me.

"You certainly did some damage, landing on them." said Lani, looking them over. Gently she traced the network of bones that spread outwards through the feathered appendage. "They mostly seem to be just sprained, though there might be a few smaller breaks I've overlooked. You might consider getting Sallen to look them over. I know he's done work on wings before."

"Alright Lani, I will." I said, closing my wings with a slight hiss of pain. "But before that, would you like to get something to eat together?"

"Of course." she said, smiling. "You go and put something together. I'm going to stay here until Tanya shows up to make sure Herobrine is okay."

"Alright." I sighed "I wish there was more we could do for him though."

"For now, all we can do is wait until his temperature gets up a bit closer to normal." said Lani "Don't worry Shadow, he's in good hands now. Your brother is going to be fine."

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, consider leaving a review, I really enjoy reading them. Any questions for the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you all have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	76. Helping Herobrine

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I would like to thank Guest for reviewing this week, it really means a lot to me that you enjoy my stories so much. On with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Herobrine's POV**

Consciousness slowly flickered through my body, bringing with it the familiar ripples of pain that always plagued me as I dipped in and out of awareness. Unlike most times though, the blistering cold was not pervasive. There instead seemed to be a single layer of frigid atmosphere wrapped around my freezing form, on the other side of which lay a great pool of warmth, slowly cutting through the chill. But with the gradual departure of the chill came an increase in the warmth, slight changes in the frigid layer increasing the heat by many times the difference. I had no doubt that soon the heat would become blistering, replacing one pain with another, as my heat protection was very slight, my powers not having had time to recover between being trapped and my imprisonment.

The change in temperature had brought consciousness within my reach, giving me a chance to pull myself out of the dark haze of pain I had fallen into and being trapped within since Notch had broken my trust in him and done such horrible things to me. It was more than just imprisonment, keeping me locked in a room that froze my body and weakened my magic to near nothing. No, it was also the so called punishment Notch had brought upon me, drawing on intense magic fueled by the wrath he held for what he believed I had done. My aura had fractured from the force, leaving my gradually recovering powers even weaker than they had been before. Every scrap of my fleeting awareness since had gone to holding together the pieces of my aura, patching them together from the outside inwards in an effort to keep myself together.

My attention was drawn away from my thoughts as another lord's aura brushed against mine, one I was not familiar with. Hissing in pain at the contact, which I suspected had been unintentional, most likely a result of physical proximity, I flinched away, trying to draw my aura away without causing it any further harm. The motion made my aura reel in pain though, the thin patches that held it together flexing and threatening to come undone.

The aura I had shied away from seemed to notice this, pausing and reaching out thin tendrils that curled around my tattered spirit, soothing a portion of the pain continuously running through me.

*So, you wake.* a feminine voice sent, one I vaguely recognized as belonging to Tanya. I had never known her super well, and the question of what she was doing around me crossed my mind almost immediately.

*I'm here to watch over you.* she sent, seeming to sense my concern. *Your brother needed someone to do so while he took some time to recover himself.*

_Where... am I?_ I asked, my words laced with pain. _How'd I get here?_ I struggled to move my body to get a bit more comfortable, but it was no use. While the change in temperature had woken my mind, my body still remained dormant, unable to break free from the power the cold held over me. Detecting my distress, Tanya shifted my position, propping my head up with a pillow and pulling the blanket up to cover me more completely.

*Shadow went and rescued you.* she said in response to my question. *As for where you are, you are in the End. Shadow felt it was best to bring you here to keep you safe. I don't know much besides that, you'll have to wait until he gets back to ask him.*

_How long... until I can move again?_ I asked, the feeling of total powerlessness threatening to overwhelm me.

*It depends a lot on you.* she sent *Focus your power on healing, that will help you recover faster. I'm working on some potions for you that should help, but until then, rest.*

_Okay._ I sighed, awareness slipping away from me as the pain surged. I turned my attention inwards, continuing to mend my damaged aura as I waited.

**Tanya's POV**

_Hopefully this will work._ I thought, collecting the last few potions I had been brewing on a tray and setting them on a small table beside where Herobrine lay. He had not stirred in the several hours since I had spoken to him, and I was hoping it was as a result of him being able to get some rest rather than being a result of continuous pain making him feel as though unconsciousness was preferable to dealing with the situation at hand, as I suspected it might be.

"Well, hopefully this will improve things either way." I sighed, twisting the top off of one of the potions and pouring a tiny amount of the fluid into his mouth. A handful of seconds passed before he reacted, weakly swallowing what I had poured in. A breath of relief ran through me at this. I had desperately been hoping I would bee able to give Herobrine regular potions rather than having to resort to the splash versions, and it seemed that my wishes had been worthwhile. The non-splash versions were far more concentrated than their counterparts, and also came without the danger of getting bits of broken glass bottle in Herobrine's wounds.

Putting down the bottle from the first potion after pouring half of its bright pink contents into Herobrine's mouth, I grabbed a second bottle I had already opened. This potion, one of fire resistance, was not typically used in healing at all, but I was hoping that it, along with his powers, would allow Herobrine to deal with the temperature changes his body had to go through to get anywhere close to its normal level of heat. Pouring the second potion into his mouth, I had nothing else to do but sit back and wait to see if his condition improved.

Half an hour passed before anything changed with Herobrine, then he began shifting, tossing and turning. Soft murmured slipped from his mouth, rising in volume as time went on.

_Well, at least he's semi-mobile now._ I thought, observing the movement _That's something, I suppose. Not quite sure on his mental state though. He seems to be in quite a lot of distress._

As I watched, Herobrine snapped upright, hands held up to cover his face. Sharp sobs wracked his body, alongside words I could just about make out."

"Why'd he do it?" he sniffed "I know what he accused me of, it did not warrant his actions. He knew my words were truthful, our link assured that. So why?"

"Herobrine," I said softly, stepping to stand beside where he sat "Are you alright?"

Starting slightly, Herobrine turned towards me, lowering his hands to rest in his lap. As he did, he let out a cry, one laced with pain and dismay.

"I can't see!" he wailed, bright, distress induced light pouring from his eyes as they darted from side to side in an effort to find something, anything, that he was able to see.

"Herobrine, it's alright, calm down." I said, reaching out to lay a gentle hand on his shoulder. His head whipped back around towards the sound of my voice, hands blindly swiping in an effort to keep me away.

"Go away." he sniffed, pulling his knees to his chest. "Maybe Notch was right about me. Maybe this is from Void's mark, his power taking me over, using my eyes to spy on you all."

"No Herobrine, I'm sure it's not that." I said, making an effort to reassure him. As I did, I opened myself to the magic plane, scouting out the immediate area for any trace of Shadow. At this point, I was pretty sure I was going to need help from him in order to calm Herobrine down.

"What do you know?" he sobbed, weak trails of flame wrapping around his body. I winced at the display, knowing that such actions would cost him. At this point, he seemed to have so little power available to him that spending it on ineffective defensive actions such as this one did far more to hurt him than anything else.

After another minute or two of searching I managed to locate Shadow. _Sorry to wake you._ I sent, noting the slight haze of sleep around his aura. _But I need your help calming Herobrine down._

*He's awake?* Shadow asked sleepily, his aura slowly growing clearer as he woke up completely.

_Yes._ I said in acknowledgment. _But he's in a bit of a state, as you'd expect. I think it would be best for you to come here so I can explain better._

*Mh, alright.* he sent, more aware than when I had first contacted him but still partially ensnared in the grasp of sleep. At that point, I broke off the contact, knowing that what I had heard already was as far as I was going to be able to get through sending, what with how asleep Shadow was. Any attempt to inform him further of his brother's condition from a distance would only cause worry and slow his eventual arrival.

_I give him five minutes tops before he shows._ I thought with a smirk. _Enough time to wake up, __realize__ what we were talking about, and teleport here._

Sure enough, it was only a few moments later when I heard the distinct sound of teleportation outside the doorway, followed by quick footsteps as a slightly out of breath Shadow made his way into the room. It was pretty clear Shadow had been sleeping when I sent for him, but he seemed to have managed to clear the majority of the sleep from his system before arriving. Either that or concern for his brother had gotten rid of it for him. Herobrine turned at the sound, his tear streaked gaze wandering the side of the room his brother stood on in an effort to get a sense of where the room's other occupant stood. Shadow made his way over to where I stood, gesturing for me to take a couple of steps away from Herobrine.

"So what's going on with Herobrine?" he asked quietly, looking over to where his brother had gone back to whispering to himself, his quiet words occasionally interrupted by soft sobs. "It's not like him to act like this. He rarely cries unless something really, really upsets him. Is this something about what happened with Notch?"

"I wish." I sighed "That I could probably deal with. Emotions from betrayal, that is something I have experience with. No, the big things wrong are that he feels Notch may have been correct with his accusations even though Herobrine believed them to be false before, and as a result of something in the series of traumatic things that happened to him, he is currently unable to see. I suspect it's from the environmental damage, something that should heal given enough time, but he's going to have to live with it for a while. He's pretty freaked out about it, his first thought was that Void was taking over and using his eyes to spy on us and that was why he couldn't see."

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind." he said "Is it alright for me to go and talk to him?"

"Of course." I said "If anyone can calm him down, it would probably be you." As Shadow approached his brother, I retreated to the sitting area at the back of the room, wishing to give the pair their space. Hopefully, Shadow would be able to help his brother to calm down and deal with the fears and handicaps he would have to face while he was healing.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review, I love reading them and they help me to know what you guys think of my work. Now, questions for me and the characters.**

**From Guest to me: What series are your stories based off of? What else is there in this story besides Shadow of Israphel? Is this the last book in your series?**

**Me: My stories were originally set up so I could write a larger world to work the Shadow of Israphel series into, so I could have at least some sense of completeness when it came to that story line. Since I started though, more series have come out, such as the various Tekkit ones, Moonquest and so on, that will end up being put into the story in one form or other. I also have plans to integrate a portion of the Mianite series into the larger world as well, since I really enjoyed that series. As the last answer suggests, _Izra's Fall_ is not the last book in the series, I have several other stories worth of events I need to mash together to make a cohesive story, as well as some other shorter works and one-shots that I have ideas for. So I hope that answers your questions, and if you have any more, feel free to leave them.**

**Anyway, if anyone has questions they can leave them in a review or PM them to me as always. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	77. Comforting and Questioning

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Just wanted to thank you all for sticking with me this long and continuing to support my works. On with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Herobrine's POV**

I started as someone sat beside me, instinctively turning towards the movement in an effort to see who it was. Of course, that did me no good, and I had to fight against the rising nerves within myself to remain stationary. Arms wrapped around me, drawing me in close, and it was all I could do to prevent myself from lashing out at whoever had grabbed me with what little strength I had accumulated, determined to escape their clutches.

"Easy, it's alright." my captor murmured, rocking me gently. The words helped me to center myself long enough to recognize their owner. Shadow. The one who had brought me here, to safety.

"Shadow?" I sighed, a breathy sound that barely reached my ears.

"I'm here." he responded, stroking my arm with soft, even movements. The effect was soothing, helping me to keep my thoughts in some semblance of order. Closing my eyes, since they were not doing anything of use anyway, I shifted so I could press myself more closely against Shadow, drawing on the warmth emanating from his body to help replenish my energy.

"So what happened?" Shadow asked softly, shifting his stroking to my back. "Tanya said you had a bit of a freak out when you woke up." His reminder of what had happened earlier brought unwanted emotions and fears to the front of my mind, ones I had done my best to avoid.

"Yeah." I sighed, not wanting to take the conversation any further.

"Please tell me." Shadow persisted, immediately honing in on my avoidance of the topic. Inwardly, I groaned. I should have known better than to believe Shadow would just let things go like that.

"I don't want to." I whimpered, the tears I had managed to push away through the distraction Shadow had provided threatening to spill once more.

"Shh, it's alright." Shadow murmured, pulling his wings around both of us. As he moved them, he let out a sudden gasp of pain, flickers of agony jumping to my aura from our proximity.

"What's wrong?" I asked worriedly, stiffening at the sudden shift in sensation.

"Sprained my wings earlier." he hissed, slowly pulling them back to a more gentle position. "Least I think that's what happened."

"When you were trying to help me?" I asked, feeling a numbness come over me. Had Shadow put himself in danger to free me? Somehow, I had simply assumed he told Notch to hand me over, but this seemed not to be the case.

Shadow shrugged. "Well, yeah, but I could hardly leave you there." He pointed out.

"I guess." I sighed. Inwardly. I was in turmoil. My position had put Shadow at risk from someone he should not be at risk of harm from. Even if Void was not controlling me, it sure felt as if he had a hand in this. I felt something slide down my cheek, and reaching up to determine its identity, my hand came away wet. Unknowingly, my tears had returned, brought on by the unhappy thoughts and guilty fears that Shadow's wounds had reinforced. Letting out a sob, I curled in on myself, my emotional pain mixing with the waves of agony from the injuries Notch's bindings had left on my wrists and ankles.

"Herobrine, come on." murmured Shadow, trying to pull my knees from where they were pulled tight to just below my chin. "I can't help you unless you tell me what's wrong."

"You can't help me anyway." I sobbed, lashing out with one arm in an attempt to shove him away. It was ineffective though, only serving to make me sick to my stomach, my wrist sending streaks of agony through my strained form.

"Why is that?" he asked patiently, grabbing my arm at the elbow to stop the wild flailing I was still directing at him.

"You can't guess?" I cried, nearly in hysterics at this point "My power is saturated with _his_ magic, paining me and sapping my strength, even as I try to pull myself back together. You can't even imagine the things I've been through, the humiliation and helplessness from Star, Notch's actions towards me when he found me, and the 'punishments' he dealt afterward. And now, I can feel his power within me, leeching off of me. Even now, he might be a single step away from taking me over completely. Perhaps now he looks through my unseeing eyes, searching for ways to break you too!" As I spoke, my voice rose in volume, until the last phrase was spat out at an almost ear-splitting volume.

"Star started this?" gasped Shadow, his tone incredulous. "No, never mind that." he said, dismissing his previous statement. "What matters right now is you. I can tell some of what Notch did to you from the marks on your aura, and believe me, it is taking quite a lot of effort to keep myself from racing back there and giving him some injuries to match yours. Now, what can we do to improve this?"

The fact that Shadow did not act as if this was something that could be cleared up with a bit of sleep and a refocused world view made me feel a bit better. My problems had been chasing me long enough, since what happened after Notch discovered that I had built the Nether, and maybe it was time I stopped running from them, something that seemed to simply present them in a more terrifying form later on, and simply face them. Maybe then I could at least have a moment to consider where to go from here. Now especially, with Amelia gone, I was unsure as to what opportunities the future offered to me, and all the problems following me did not make the task of finding out any easier.

"Your being here helps." I said to Shadow, allowing my body to relax slightly against his.

"I'm glad." he replied "We'll work through this. No matter how long it takes, I will be here for you."

**Jeb's POV**

"Why did you help them escape?" roared Notch, a red so dark it bordered on black saturating the surface of his wings. This interrogation had arisen immediately after he had caught me helping Shadow escape. He wanted to know what had motivated me to help them, perhaps so he could eliminate such urges in the future.

Closing my eyes, I resolutely refused to speak, as I had at all his other attempts to question me. I felt what I had done was right, and it was none of his business as to why I had. Of course, that did not hold true for practical reasons, but I could still make it difficult for him to get any answers out of me, and perhaps distract him long enough that Shadow could get Herobrine somewhere safe, where he could keep Notch away from him until Herobrine was in a better state.

"I'll give you one last chance." growled Notch, looking me over with his frigid gaze. "Where did they go to?" Idly, I thought how odd it was that Notch had switched from blazing anger to cold, calculating rage with little transition. It was as if something inside him had snapped, and only after a bit had he been able to get it under control, showing at least a shred of restraint with his words.

_What are you doing?_ I asked myself _Just sitting here? He could be __planning something horrible to do to you, yet you are still just sitting here! __You think he's just going to let you off easy if you don't give him any answers? After what you did to him? I don't think there's much of a chance of that._

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that this whole thing, with me talking to myself, was not a good sign. After how I had dealt with Notch, I wouldn't be surprised if there was some sort of mental trauma causing this. Whatever the reason though, my mind refused to acknowledged or take seriously the potential risk that might hold, instead continuing to make irrelevant observations that did nothing to improve my situation in any way.

"Still got nothing to say?" asked Notch "Well, no one can say I didn't try to steer you away from their path. But if you won't tell me of your own free will, I'm going to have to make you. We can hardly have traitors and the like running around, making plans and working to cause more trouble, now can we?"

_Who's he trying to convince with this __defense__?_ I wondered blearily, my vision going a bit fuzzy for a moment as my headache worsened. _It's not like there __is anyone here beside me, and I could hardly care less about why he thinks this is a good choice. Its still probably nasty for me._

The lights seemed to flicker around me for a moment before snapping back to their previous positions. My attention was diverted from the strange phenomena of the lights by a sudden yank on something wrapped around my wrists. Glancing down, I saw that iron bands with twisting runes etched into their gleaming surface were fastened around my wrists, a short length of chain connecting my hands to a longer bit of chain held by Notch. Odd. I could not recall being restrained in the time since I had helped the others.

"I see you've noticed my... safety measures." Notch said, pausing for a moment to consider his final words. "We could hardly have you here just wandering around, not after what you did, and even being contained in a cell wouldn't keep your powers at bay. So, this is the solution." He actually seemed quite proud of himself, for coming up with this solution to keep me captive. Then again, if someone had done to me what I had done to him, I would be pretty keen on finding a way to lock them up too.

"Now, off to find out what you know about where those traitors have gone." he said, pulling me along behind him. Reluctantly I moved to follow, consistent tugs on the chain directing my movement. Taking a few steps to follow, a wave of nausea came over me. Closing my eyes for a moment, I attempted to contain the sensation, reaching out to steady myself against the wall. The next thing I saw was the ceiling, straight upwards from where I was looking. I squinted in confusion at the ceiling, wondering how I had ended up on the floor.

_What's going on?_ I wondered, trying to raise my hand to shield my eyes from the glare but finding my attempt foiled by the chain binding me._ What is __happening to me?_

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**A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review, I really enjoy hearing from you all. Also, if you have any questions for me or the characters, feel free to leave them in a review or PM them to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	78. Confrontation and Pursuit

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. _Izra's Fall_ passed 3k views this week, and I'd just like to thank you all for sticking with me through this. Now, on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Israphel's POV**

"Hopefully this will be better than last time." I sighed, approaching once more the cave house the two would-be adventurers lived in. The last time I had attempted to lead them to the town where we were based, they had barely made it across the lake before loosing sight of me, growing distracted and wandering off in the entirely wrong direction.

It had been a few days before they returned, carrying with them the few ores they had gathered on an impromptu mining expedition, and Star had taken the time to make a few changes to the area, repairing their back entrance and dotting the landscape with more miscellaneous structures. I had occupied my time with more... useful constructions, and built a long, very obvious pathway from the tiny town we were based in, to the space where the pair had lost sight of me previously. Hopefully it would provide a route for the pair of them to follow after they had lost me again, something that was sure to happen.

"Now, how will I approach this this time around?" I mused, climbing the crest of the hill to look across the somewhat flat expanse that separated the dwelling from where I stood. "They're up inside the mountain tower somewhere, so I can't just shoot down from above like I did before, since I don't know what level they'd be on.

An idea occurred to me as I looked over their mountain abode. Their tower was built into the mountain, but on one side the rocky outcropping was not as thick as it was on the others. Perhaps I could construct a passageway through this portion of the mountain, allowing for a quick escape when they inevitably spotted me. It would also allow me to direct my pursuers more accurately towards the town if they were to follow, which given their curiosity, was practically a guarantee.

Allowing my aura to dip ever so slightly into the magic plane, I reached out tentatively towards the mountain tower, halting my progress forward as soon as the first wispy tendrils of their aura brushed mine. Any closer, and I feared that Xephos would be able to detect my presence. As unskilled as he seemed to be in Code, he still had managed to detect me and follow my moments with a great deal of success, at least before Honeydew's curiosity had distracted him. Knowing that, there was little doubt in my mind that he would be able to detect my presence, were I hang around, given that the detection of other magic users was one of the most basic and useful skills a magic user could have at their disposal. If Xephos had ever had any level of magic training at all, regardless if he remembered it or not, he would have a reflex to draw upon that skill to keep himself safe.

"Alright, now that I'm sure they're inside and not in any position where they might stumble upon my work, let's do this." Pulling out a pickaxe, I drew my aura in tight around myself as I walked just below the tree line towards their house. The short plants would not conceal me for long, given that they ended a fair way before the mountain rose up, but they at least provided some measure of cover form any observer that might be looking down from the top of the mountain.

Reaching the edge of the trees, I made a mad dash towards the cliff side, my chest heaving at I dashed for the concealing safety of the shadowy rock face. Panting, I lay back against the cool rock face, wondering for what felt like the hundredth time why my followers could not be more competent. I was in the unfortunate position of being just high enough in the pecking order of our group to be considered competent and useful, but not high enough to have any competent and skilled creatures below me.

_So I get stuff like this._ I sighed wryly _Jobs that need more skill and stealth than zombie or creeper boss can manage, but that are beneath or would raise too many red flags if one of the higher ups were to do it._

*Be careful what you think* chided Star, here presence suddenly looping itself around mine. *Void would likely not be pleased if heard ones like these, and I have things to do besides block them from him.*

_I didn't ask for your help._ I snapped mentally, trying to twist my way from beneath her clinging aura but finding it far more difficult than I had anticipated.

*And I wasn't offering!* she hissed *Much as I care for Void, and I love him to pieces most of the time, but he has moments of... instability. It's part of the whole chaos thing, but worse for him because of how deeply entwined it is within him. Sometimes, he just... snaps, and if that happens some time when you have somehow managed to get on his bad side... well, let's just say not all his previous chosen have fallen at the hands of others.*

_So you're here to keep me safe._ I sneered _How is that not helping? I can take care of myself._

*Would you listen?* Star shouted, shards of energy tearing off her aura to imbed themselves in mine. Staggering, I swore under my breath, trying to cope with the sudden pain without drawing my target's attention or releasing my hold on my aura. *I have little interest in keeping the likes of you alive.* she spat, the anger and irritation she held rippling through me. *Why should I? Your kind are all the same! Give yourself to the first powerful one who comes along, then when another, more powerful one comes knocking, you leave, or worse, betray, your last lord to trail after a new master. I'm doing this for Void. He has things hard enough without his chosen pestering him with thoughts and feelings they should be smart enough to ignore.*

_You don't understand!_ I hissed, opening my eyes with the fleeting hope that I'd at least be able to stare here down. She wasn't visible of course. Star rarely took a form

*And you haven't been through what I have!* she retaliated *This I know to be true. So, let's say this. We have a mutual agreement to stay out of each other's lives and way, except where it is required to assist Void. That way, no one treads on any sensitive subjects.*

_Agreed._ I nodded, trying to decipher the nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I was making a mistake here. Surely it would only be beneficial to keep Star from poking around in my business. I felt a surge of contempt and agreement from Star as she released her hold on my aura, her power surging for a moment as she gathered herself before disappearing, either concealed or teleported I could not tell which.

"Now, back to this." I sighed, raising my pickaxe and beginning the tedious task of excavating a tunnel between here and the other side of the narrow mountain.

An hour or so later I made it to the other side, revealed to seen that even after the delay caused by my encounter with Star, the sun was still high in the sky. I had figured that the timing had been part of the problem with my attempt at luring the so called heroes last time, the late hour causing fatigue and poor visibility that did nothing to help them pursue me. Stowing my pickaxe, I carefully twisted the handle of the back door, surprised to find it not only unlocked, but not even completely latched, making the task of silent entry all the easier.

_You'd think they'd learn._ I snickered, stepping inside and drawing my bow, an arrow sitting loosely on the string _What with so many une__xpected visitors to their home. But no, even now they can't even manage to keep their doors closed._ Silently laughing in amusement, I made my way across the room, carefully climbing the first leg of the odd staircase that snaked up the room and keeping my attention and senses focused on searching for any sign of my quarry.

Before I had even reached the top of the stairs, I caught a glimpse of one of them leaning over distractedly from the floor above to start filling in a hold in the floor, and I couldn't resist taking a pot shot at them. I didn't really think it would hit anyone, but the confusion and anxiety it would stir up was well worth the wasted material. Sure enough, it was only a moment later when I heard frantic whispers above, followed by Xephos' worried face peeking down the stairs. As soon as he saw me, he jerked back behind cover, managing to evade the arrow I had shot at his face.

I heard a few muffled shouts from Honeydew before the pair of them charged down the stairs, for some reason having decided that this was the best course of action, rather than keeping the high ground,

_Well, it make__s__ my job easier at least._ I sighed, swapping out my bow for a pile of cobblestone as I ran for the back door. The tunnel might make for a good escape route, but I didn't want them to actually be able to catch me. That meant slowing them down. Placing a few blocks behind myself as I ran, I made my way towards the lake, hearing the sound of breaking blocks behind me even as I raced forwards. I did my best to streak past Star's constructs so as to encourage them to do the same and thus not become distracted as they had before.

At last managing to reach my path, I dared to stop my frantic pace for a moment, seeking shelter beneath one of the pillars of the entrance as I struggled to regain my breath. This form wasn't exactly built for running, something I still sometimes found hard to deal with, even after over a hundred years occupying it.

Slightly more slowly now, I made my way back along the path until I was able to watch them reach the entrance to the pathway without being seen. They dawdled along for a bit before beginning to follow the path as it wound its way across the landscape.

"Good." I murmured. "Now, for the next bit of this little plan." Closing my eyes, I teleported back to the small town. "I've done my part." I reported to Void and Texolauren as I approached. "Now we wait for the next step."

"Indeed." hissed Void. "For it is then we discover if they are to be friend or foe."

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Questions for the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter! Bye! :D**


	79. Interrogation and Repromanding

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Sorry this chapter is a bit short, but I got to the end of this segment of story and ran out of time to finish the next POV segment. So, on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast**

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**Jeb's POV**

Awareness returned to me slowly as I resurfaced from unconsciousness, a sluggish haze clouding my thoughts as I blinked my eyes open. Idly, I noticed I was lying on a surface that flexed at my touch. So, not the floor I had fallen on, but also not a proper bed. Something that fell somewhere between the two extremes.

"So, you're awake at last." Notch hissed, a ripple of concern flashing across his face. The brief display of emotion quickly dissipated, leaving in its place the blank facade I had come to expect.

_So, he does care._ I thought, making an attempt to sit up. My efforts were halted by a sharp jerk on my wrists, a reminder of the chains that bound me. Turning back to look at Notch, I managed to catch a glimpse of another upset expression crossing his face, one he swiftly abandoned as he noticed my glance.

"You helped me." I murmured, throat scratchy. "Why?"

"How have I helped you?" asked Notch, crossing his arms.

"You could have just left me there on the floor." I pointed out, letting out a hiss as a sharp stab of pain ran through my body. My vision grew fuzzy as the pain persisted.

_What is wrong with me? _I wondered, feeling my aura partially slip from my control. I made an effort to pull it back, to bring my power under my control where it belonged, but I couldn't seem to make it work. Biting my lip and throwing caution slightly to the wind, I let go of all but the last shreds of my power, immersing myself in the magic plane.

I sighed in relief as the pain faded slightly, the loosening of the ties to my physical form helping with whatever was causing the pain and other problems. This was a trick I had learned from Lady Destiny, one she had recommended I use should I somehow find my way into danger. It allowed me to distance myself from whatever damage my body had sustained, giving me the ability to escape dangerous situations even when injured badly. Or, at times like this, get a break from whatever was causing my body such problems.

Faintly, I could here Notch saying something, but I had distanced myself too far from my physical form to be able to make it out. Reaching for the strands of aura that still linked me to my physical form, I started in alarm as I came across nothing. Growing worried now, I began sweeping a portion of my aura across the space, desperately searching for any sign of what, in reality, was my only link to the physical plane. That was one of the few things that genuinely terrified me, being lost within the magic plane. My powers were usually what kept me safe, something I had that set me apart from the creatures of the land. But here, magic was the normal thing. Every creature had magic, most with my level or higher in terms of raw power, and it didn't help that at this crucial point, I had as little control over my powers as I had had when I was only a small child.

_What do I do?_ I thought, trying to keep panic and terror at bay as I gathered up my aura as best as I could, trying to make myself as small as possible.

A strong band of magic wrapped tightly around my aura, pulling me along at a good pace. I struggled not to scream as I was taken who knows where, knowing it would only serve to draw more of the creatures to me.

A moment later, it was as if I had been shoved through a wall, the world slowly falling into place around me as I was returned to a place I was far more familiar with. I managed to sit up slowly, leaning heavily on the wall as I worked to quell the terror still present within me. The pain from before had returned, but a large measure of relief mostly eclipsed the uncomfortable feeling. I hadn't realized how much of a sense of security my ties to the physical plane had given me until they had been lost, and now, returned to my physical form by some other force, I gathered my aura close, hurdling in the corner where my sleeping place met the wall. It was if though my mind was not sure this was real, that perhaps this was an imaginary construct, brought on by the extreme terror I had felt at being grabbed by some unknown creature. And if that was the case, there was still something out there trying to get me, and at any moment it might decided to strike.

*Relax, it's all right.* sent a feminine voice. I started slightly at the unexpected words, calming a bit as I recognized their owner.

_My lady._ I sighed, slowing my breathing to a more manageable rate. _You startled me._

*I did a bit more than that.* she sent *Who do you think it was that pulled you out of that place? What were you thinking, dropping yourself further into the magic plane when you already were loosing hold on your powers? I might see it as something one of Will's lords might do, what with their reliance on luck and the like, but for you it's just stupid.*

"Is he going to be alright?" I heard Notch ask hesitantly, a definite note of concern present in his voice. A moment later, his tone shifted more towards what I expected, at least considering my actions towards him. "I need to know so I can plan my next step. He knows something, and he's going to tell me what it is, even if I have to force it out of him."  
**You will do no such thing.** said Destiny coldly, her voice threatening. **My chosen has been through enough without having to deal with your efforts to interrogate him for knowledge he does not have.**

I managed to pry my eyes open at the sound of Destiny's actual voice, rather than her usual sending. It was rare for her to show herself in a physical form unless it was important, at least since Will had taken up residency in the castle. As I watched, Notch took a few hesitant steps back from Destiny's imposing form, stopping only when the tips of his outstretched wings brushed the stone wall behind him.

"How do you know?" he asked quietly, eyes nervously turned downwards.

**I watch over my chosen.**she replied, crossing her arms and glaring at him. **Something you could learn from. I know what you did to your brother while he was locked up here. **A part of me I hurriedly worked to guard from any prying looks knew she was being a hypocrite here. After all, Notch had needed to save me on multiple occasions from injuries I had sustained from Destiny's own hand. She wasn't exactly the most... stable of lords sometimes, and I had payed the price for crossing her several times.

"Alright, if he doesn't know anything, I guess he can go." sighed Notch, walking over to fuss with where my bindings were secured. An air of resignation hung around him, as if her was doing this only to please Destiny. Which, to be fair, was a pretty good reason. "What's wrong with him, by the way, if you don't mind me asking?" he inquired, looking up from his task of unthreading the chain from the multiple loops it was wound around.

"I want to know too." I whispered, earning a confused and somewhat sympathetic glance from Notch. Apparently, he had been under the impression that I knew what was happening to me and what was causing it.

**It's from when he stopped you earlier.**said Destiny **Your magic is a good deal stronger than his, and even the little resistance you put up was enough to tear his aura quite badly. That on top of the... other injuries he has sustained in the past meant that he ended up with some very substantial injuries that will take a while to heal, even with my assistance.**

"Oh." said Notch, his face falling. I could tell that while he had felt it was his duty to try to get information about his brothers from me, he had harbored no desire to do permanent damage to me. Even though his actions were often misguided, he still had a good heart.

"Well." he said, his voice wavering slightly "If there's anything you need me to do, or if I can help in any way, well, you know where to find me." With that parting remark, he left, making his way to some other location within the castle.

**I don't like that one.** hissed Destiny, watching him go. **Something always seems wrong about him.**

"You just don't like him because he doesn't agree with most of your stuff." I sighed, trying to fight off the tempting lure of sleep. Destiny noticed my struggle and placed a hand on my shoulder.

**You can sleep without harm.**she said **I will make sure you are alright while you recover some strength. Then we will see what can be done to remedy your injuries.**

"Alright." I sighed, succumbing to sleep and drifting away from the waking world.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Any questions for me or the characters (current or past) that you may have can be PM'ed to me or left in a review. Anyway, I hope that you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	80. The Mysterious Object

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. On with the character!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Shadow's POV**

"Shadow, one of the guards has seen something." I heard faintly though the haze of my dreams, their faint light falling away as I awoke.

As I shifted slightly, attempting to get my bearings before moving further, I felt a hand grab my shoulder. Clearly whoever had spoken wanted me awake now.

"Give me a moment." I sighed, slowly managing to pry my eyes open. I was still curled around Herobrine, and it took me a moment to figure out what the best way off the bed was. He had wanted me to stay, to ensure he didn't have any further bad dreams, which had turned into both of us sleeping.

After a moment though, I managed to work my way out from under him, slipping off the plush surface to stand beside my awakener.

"What did they see, Tanya?" I asked, absentmindedly looking over my sleeping brother. He was more restless now than before, seeming to be searching for something. After a handful of seconds he gave up, pulling the covers tight around himself and rolling over with a soft sigh.

"It's not a usual thing, that's for sure." she sighed "The Enderman was petrified I was going to punish him for not being able to follow its exact path, but I managed to get some semblance of a description from him."

"And?" I asked, voice kept to a hush but still managing to convey my annoyance. I had not woken up early and gotten out of a warm bed for this.

"Apparently there is some kind of large thing coming towards the main island." she said "I asked the Enderman how he was sure it wasn't just one of the dragons, and he said it didn't move like a dragon. It just kind of floated along."

"Did he take you to see the thing?" I asked. If she had seen whatever this things was herself, it would be far easier to get an idea of what was out there.

"No, I wanted to get you before I went to investigate." she explained "That way, you can see for yourself whatever it is."

"Fair enough." I said, brushing the tip of my tail across Herobrine's shoulders. "Stay safe, sleep well Herobrine, I will be back shortly." I murmured.

"Don't leave." a soft voice pleaded, and it took me a moment to realize it was Herobrine who had spoken. He sounded so sad and dejected, something I was not used to.

"We won't be gone long." I assured him "Just long enough to go see what this thing is. Then we'll be back."

"Don't leave me here alone." he pleaded, sightless eyes wide as he turned towards the sound of my voice. "What if he comes for me?"

"Who, Notch?" I asked, genuinely puzzled. "He's not here, Herobrine. I would know if he had used a portal to get here, and we all would have sensed it if he tried to do a direct teleport here. He doesn't know the area well enough to get here without anchoring."

"Not him." sniffed Herobrine, pulling the blanket over his head like a hood. "Void." He whispered the name, as if speaking it too loudly would cause him to appear.

"He's not around." Tanya assured him.

"You can't know that." he whispered, bright eyes flicking around nervously. "You can never know that. He's tricky."  
"If you are that worried about him, you can come along with us." I said, slipping my had around his wrist and gently coaxing him to his feet.

"Okay." he said, seeming to perk up ever so slightly at my words.

*This isn't a good idea.* sent Tanya, irritation present in her sending *We don't know what we're going up against here, and your brother isn't in the best of health right now. On top of that, he cant see! He's liable to walk off an edge!*

_I'll keep an eye out for him._ I snapped _I don't want to leave him when he's this freaked out. __It was hard enough to keep track of him when he was upset or scared as a kid, and that was when I had Notch's help in finding him._

*Him? Hiding?* Tanya scoffed *I think you're thinging of someone else. He couldn't be subtleif you paid him to be.*

_You'd__ be surprised _I said _ If he doesn't want to be found, there's a good chance you won't come across him._

*Focus, both of you.* snapped Illusion. *If you remember, there's an unknown object coming this way. So that should probably be your priority rather than bickering about Herobrine.*

_Right._ I agreed, glad to be away from the other topic. The reminder of when Herobrine and the others were younger had stirred up old memories, some of which I wished could stay forgotten.

"Stay close to me." I told Herobrine softly, releasing his wrist and flicking my tail sideways to fall easily within his reach. As I did, I made sure the feathers on the end brushed against each other, making enough noise that he could tell roughly where they were. He took hold of my tail carefully, careful fingers holding on just tight enough they wouldn't loose me.

"Ready?" I asked, looking over my shoulder to where he stood. He relied with a hesitant nod, and I waved Tanya forward. After all, she was the one who knew where we needed to go

"So you saw it heading this way?" asked Tanya, intent on gathering more information from our Enderman escort as we went along. He nodded hesitantly, warbling something in Enderspeak I didn't quote catch.

"Mh, well, I guess we will have to take your word for it." she sighed, crossing her arms in irritation. It was pretty clear she was less than pleased with the situation, or more likely, her lack of control over it.

"There's something over there." said Herobrine softly, gripping my tail tighter with one hand as he pointed forward, slightly off the path we had been traveling along.

"Can you tell what it is?" I asked. Herobrine was more in tune with the magic plane than Tanya or I could afford to be right now, so he might be able to tell what was out there.

He hesitated for a moment before saying "No, but its almost like... I don't really know. Like I've felt this before. A long time ago."

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind." I assured him, giving his shoulder a soft pat before making my way in the general direction he had indicated. Tanya rolled her eyes at this, making some comment under her breath about the blind leading the daft I doubted she had intended for me to hear.

Climbing over the rise, a shape started to become visible through the fog that gathered here, poling into the dip below, where whatever we were searching for had apparently stopped. I looked up in surprise and alarm as a rush of wings echoed across the area, bringing with it mental images of the Chaos lords who still lurked in the Nether and End.

My frantically beating heart calmed a bit when I saw that while I had been correct in my assumption that it was the Chaos kind, it was those who were allied with us. They had taken up residency on one of the nearby islands, setting up a small outpost so they could live in semi-comfort whole still being close to what they had once called home.

"I see you heard word of the strange craft too." said Sallen, dipping his head slightly in greeting.

I mirrored the gesture before saying "Yes, we were just on our way to investigate."

"May we accompany you then?" he asked. I was about to grant them permission when I noticed something that didn't fit what I was expecting. From what I knew, there were only three of the Chaos kind here, Sallen, Teloxen and Mirexal. Yet there were clearly four figures in Sallen's group. On top of that, none of them had the patchy, torn wings of Teloxen, meaning that he was not part of this group, and that at least two of them were someone new.

"Who are they?" I asked with rising anger. I had been gracious enough to allow him to stay within my realm, and he just brought more of the Chaos kind around without telling me.

Sallen seemed to sense my growing frustration and rage as he responded, a note of cool composure helping to calm my emotions.

"I would have told you before, but Null and Endervice just got here, and I was not aware they were coming before hand. Either way, Null is loyal to your, our side, and while his brother may be slightly on the fence, Endervice is loyal to his brother unconditionally."

"Alright." I sighed, making an effort to look the pair over and giving up when just looking at Endervice's wings began giving me a splitting headache. I wasn't thrilled that the pair of them both wore masks, but there wasn't a whole lot I could do about it without causing a large degree of offense.

Our now larger group continued the trek down the valley, all silent save for the occasional his of pain or irritation from slipping on a loose piece of Endstone.

When at last we reached the bottom of the landform, the fog seemed to clear slightly, revealing what was nestled into the valley. A gleaming spacecraft lay there, parked neatly in the relatively small space so that no part of it rose above the fog. How the Enderman guard who reported this had described it as only a bit bigger than a dragon on the way here baffled me. This was clearly far larger than any creature that dwelled in the End.

As we stood before the craft, a hatch opened in its side. Warm jets of air from within shifted the fog, causing it to billow outwards as a figure lept down from the raised hatch. They straightened, composing themselves for a moment before saying. "Shadow. It's been a long time, friend."

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I would like to thank PsychoDuskull for their OC's Null Beats and Endervice. As always, if you enjoyed the chapter please consider leaving a review. Any questions for the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	81. An Old Friend's Return

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I would like to thank PsycoDuskull for reviewing this week. I know it's not as long as normal, but the next scene is probably going to be a long one, and I want to spend a bit more time on it. On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Shadow's POV**

I sensed the others around me tenses as the figure approached, but I was frozen, unable to respond. My mind had finally made the connection of who this was when they spoke, filling in the pieces to explain the nagging sensation I had that this should have been someone I recognized. This explained why Herobrine had felt a vague recognition of their presence as well. After all, the two of them had spent a fair amount of time together when he was younger.

"Shadow, don't you... remember me?" the figure asked hesitantly, his face falling slightly.

"Yeah." I whispered softly, his words snapping me from my stunned thoughts. "But, how? I thought... I mean I always hoped, but I never really... y'know, really believed it."

"Shadow, calm down." he said, close enough now that he could reach out and lay a hand on my shoulder, silencing the flow of words falling from my lips. I froze for a moment at his touch, not really believing what I could no longer deny, before practically falling into his arms, wings wrapped around both of us as I hugged him. "I thought they had slain you, Kiri." I sniffed, doing my best to keep tears away, though the mass of emotions within me seemed determined to do otherwise.

"Give me a bit more credit than that." he said, a bright smile lighting up his features. "After all, I'm here now, aren't I?" His cheery mood helped to calm me slightly, though I could sense the tension and agitation that lurked beneath. There was more to his sudden reappearance than just reliving old times. But, for a moment, I pretended that was all there was to it, taking in Kiriveyen's features with a critical eye. He had changed since I had seen him last, but that was hardly surprising. After all, the others had only been children when we had needed to flee.

"So, are you going to introduce us, or just keep us in suspense?" asked Mirexal, lazily stretching a wing and watching the odd pattern of shadows the haze dimmed light painted across it.

"Where are my manners?" said Kiriveyen, lord of the Tirychen race, or at least what are left of our kind."

"He and I worked together a lot when we were younger." I said, realizing that they would probably need a bit more information to reassure their uneasy sentiments. "We lost touch after I had to, for lack of a better term, flee in order to keep the others safe." Mirexal and the others seemed mollified by this information, perhaps realizing that no matter what they thought of him, Kiriveyen was obviously someone I trusted, and since this was my realm, I had the final say in whether or not he stayed.

Starting slightly, I felt the soft brush of two separate auras against mine. One was Herobrine's, and I looped a tendril of power around him as soon ad I recognized that it belonged to him. I would get to whoever else was trying to contact me in a minute, Herobrine was family, and family came first, especially considering the things he'd been through recently.

*Shadow.* he sent softly, a buildup of tension seeming to ease as our link allowed the new excess of positive and cheery emotions within my aura to mix with the anxiety he head been holding since he escaped the Aether.

_What is it?_ I asked, doing my best to scatter some of the more negative emotions away from both of us, or at least keep them to myself if nothing else. After all of this, Herobrine deserved a restful sleep, and if all of this was mixed up inside of him, well the chances of that were slim to none.

*Just finding it a bit hard to figure out what's going on.* he admitted, a pained not in his words he couldn't managed to hide.

_Alright._ I said soothingly, realizing how difficult this must be for him. _I'll finish up here quick as I can, then we can go off somewhere and you can ask me as much as you like. Sound good?_

*Alright.* he said hesitantly, uncertainty still flicking through his link.

Giving him one last reassuring thought, I released my hold on him, allowing the trailing edge of an aura tendril to stay closed to him, partially to give him reassurance and partially so I could keep an eye on him. I didn't want him to go off on his own and freak out, something that could quite easily happen if I wasn't careful. With that taken care of though, I was free to turn to whoever was attempting to get a hold of me.

Carefully, I reached out, gently poking a trail of my aura forward to meet theirs. A ripple of familiar emotions came over me, and I realized with a start that it was Kiriveyen who was trying to contact me. Given how his appearance simply seemed to have changed due to the passage of time, it was shocking how much his aura had changed in response to whatever he had been through. Knowing this, it was little wonder that Herobrine had not been able to recognize his presence very well. I suspected that he had been able to see, he would have quite easily recognized Kiriveyen as someone he had known in the past.

*Shadow.* he sent, and I fleetingly remembered that I was still embracing him. Halfheartedly I stepped away, shuffling my wings as I felt the eyes of the others on me.

_Yeah?_ I sent in reply, cursing the slight embarrassment tinging my aura.

*Is there somewhere we can speak more privately?* he asked, a flash of the nerves I had detected earlier showing themselves. *I have things I need to speak to you about that cannot be said to just anyone.*

_Yes, but Herobrine will come with us._ I said, minding my promise to him while also ensuring I'd have some semblance of backup should things go bad.

*That's fine.* he replied *Lead on when you are ready. My ship will wait here for my return.*

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review, they help me to know what you guys like about this story. Any questions for me or the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	82. Kiriveyen's Mission

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Last week I was too sick and sleepy to write much, but hopefully you still enjoyed it. This week should hopefully be a bit more significant, at least in terms of moving the plot along. On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Herobrine's POV**

I watched Kiriveyen's aura flicker slightly from one side to the other as he paced the length of the room, pausing at one end of the loop on every pass to see if Shadow had returned. I might not be able to see, but after this long of observing a pattern, it wasn't hard to pick up what was going on.

Shadow had led us up here when we had returned to the main island, Chaos lords in tow, and it was because of them he had needed to leave us here for a while. He had wanted to speak to Sallen about the new Chaos lords he had turned up with, and thanks to that, I was now stuck waiting with a person I barely remembered, who would not stop pacing!

Sighing, I leaned back on the soft couch, making an attempt to fall asleep. At least then, I would not have to listen to the incessant tap of Kiriveyen's feet. Couldn't he at least have the courtesy to pace on the rug rather than the stone brick? That at least would keep the noise down.

It took me a moment to realize that the sound had stopped, leaving the room in near perfect silence. Flushing slightly, I realized I had allowed my emotions to get away from me, using my expanded senses, to make their way much further then I was comfortable with them being.

Doing my best to make it look casual, I reined in my wayward emotions, hoping that Kiriveyen had been distracted by something or other and not noticed them. Of course, I could never be that lucky.

I felt heat creep up my cheeks as I felt his eyes on me, and I did my best to push myself deeper into the cushions, working to make myself invisible in an effort to escape the embarrassment. But unfortunately, that was not a skill I possessed.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his attention switching from whatever had been preoccupying his attention previously to focus completely on me.

"Yeah." I sighed, desperately wishing he would just leave well enough alone. Couldn't he see that I was already uncomfortable, that his interference was not going to make me feel any better. I let out a soft sigh of disappointment when I felt the cushion beside me sink down, signaling that Kiriveyen had settled beside me.

"We both know that's not true." he said. "Why don't you tell me what's going on, like you used to."

"Why won't you leave me alone?" I hissed, flinching away from the arm he had been attempting to rest on my shoulder. Even without being able to see, I was familiar enough with the gesture to know to expect it.

"I just thought..." he said, trailing off and flashes of hurt making their way through his aura.

"Thought what?" I spat. I had detected his feelings, but in my current state I didn't really care. He shouldn't expect sympathy from me when I could barely scrape together enough to feel bad for myself. "That you'd just show up and things would be just as they were when we left? Well, I hate to break it to you, but that's not going to happen! A lot has changed in the time you have been elsewhere, and I'm not the child you remember, one who will confide in you without a second thought. It has been thousands of years since that time, and you were never there for any of it!" I felt tears slipping down my face as I reached the end of my tirade, the realization of my true feelings on the subject making themselves known. I hadn't been aware of the feelings myself, that's how well they had been hidden, but now, with them in the open as they now were, it was not hard to tell where they came from.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you." said Kiriveyen hesitantly, seeming to sense the shift in my mood. "I wanted to come back to Shadow, to you all after what happened, but I had so much to do to help my people recover that when I had the chance to even begin looking, you were gone. Shadow and I had spoken about how it was necessary for you all to hide from the Builder council, but we were separated for far longer than anticipated. Worst of all, when I had at last gotten things sorted out to some level of normality, the council thought it was best to keep an eye on me, that way, if I should decide to contact Shadow, they would be able to, uh,... carry out their more unsavory tasks. That's why I stayed away so long, even when I found out where you were. I wanted to make sure you all stayed safe. Can you forgive me for being gone, knowing all of that?"

In answer, I leaned towards him, shifting over until I could rest my head on his shoulder. Closing my unseeing eyes, I snuggled closer, allowing my aura to convey the message I did not trust my words to express properly. He started momentarily, but afterward relaxed against my aura, twists of reassurance and comfort mixing with the hesitant sending of acceptance and forgiveness I was feeling.

As I lay there, peace of mind finally starting to come to my troubled self, I was reminded of the many flashes of panic and confusion that had often come upon me in my sleep when I was younger. I had been told they were nothing, that I shouldn't worry about it, but the fragmented memories of so long ago would likely be what I remembered from the time Kiriveyen had left. Perhaps Shadow had simply not wished to be reminded of his friend with constant questions he did not know the answer to.

"So, you two are all made up now?" I heard someone ask from the doorway. Flinching, I jumped slightly back from Kiriveyen, feeling my partially healed injuries strain in painful ways at the motion.

"Shadow, don't do that." laughed Kiriveyen, pushing himself up off the couch.

"So, are you?" he asked, coming closer.

"It seems so." Kiriveyen replied, sending a quick, questioning sending my way, one which I replied to with a feeling of acceptance.

**Shadow's POV**

"That's good." I said, feeling Kiriveyen's relief at this fact. He had always been quite close to Herobrine, and it was good that they had managed to work things out without a huge amount of trouble. I took in his cheery face with a small measure of relief, though I could still tell there was pain concealed beneath it. Something larger was going on here, that was the only reason he would be here, given the snatches of what he had allowed me to hear of his conversation with Herobrine.

_Come here._ I sent softly, taking a few steps forwards and opening my arms, gesturing for him to come complied, coming closer and burring himself in my arms. He seemed to fade slightly into my arms, the cheery facade he had been holding in place starting to wear thin. We stood like that for a few moments before he pulled away, his air of normality carefully put back into place.

"Right, so why I'm here." he said, his speech far more formal than I was used to hearing from him. "One of our, the Tirychen that it, ships has gone missing, and we would one, like to know if you have seen any traces of it, and two, ask for your assistance in locating it and its crew, regardless if you have heard word of it or not.

_Ah, so that explains it_. I thought, things starting to slot into place. _That's why he's acting so odd. He's worried about not only finding a ship's worth of __his people, but also keeping things calm with the relations to wh__o__ever had been on that ship along with the population as a whole._

"Of course we can help." I said "Well, I can, and probably some of Herobrine's lords if he agrees and we can find them. Notch though, well you'll have to go talk to him, that is if you can get anywhere near him without him freaking out about it."

"Okay." he said, shooting me a confused expression but not pushing any further for information on that subject. "What about Steve?" he asked, the thought seeming to occur to him "Couldn't he help? Even if he can't lend much support, he was always good at persuading Notch to do one thing or another."

"It's complicated." I sighed, looking away.

"Steve was taken by a magic demon thing over a hundred years ago." said Herobrine flatly "Things change. We haven't heard much on the subject since."

"Oh, that's..." Kiriveyen trailed off, his eyes swimming with emotions he could not conceal. HE had apparently not been prepared for just how much things had chanced in the long time of his absence.

"I may know the location of the ship you are speaking about though." said Herobrine, causing Kiriveyen to snap around, eyes wide.

"You do?" he gasped in disbelief.

"Think so." he said "Or at least what's left of it. Accursed things nearly came down on top of me."

"And the crew?" he asked, eyes seeming to widen further, if that was possible, bathing the room in electric green light.

"Only one survivor that I'm aware of." Herobrine replied "And that's because I dragged him out of the lake, I'll have you know."

"We should talk in the morning." I said, noticing how late it was. The difference wasn't much, but there was still a sort of day night cycle that the End followed.

"Perhaps it would be for the best." Kiriveyen nodded, a stunned expression still painted across his face. "Yes, I need a while to process this, to take it all in."

"Alright." I agreed "Follow me."

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Any questions for me or the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	83. The Tirychen's Past

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Not much to say, so let's get right into things. On with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Kiriveyen's POV**

_It's just so much to take in. __Everything's__different__, and they're all __different__, and you can't let your people down, and everyone's counting on you, but what if they can't help, what if they don't remember, what if they hate you?_ The violent, raging storm of my thoughts seemed to calm slightly as another sat on the edge of my bed, laying a hand on my shoulder and presenting a gentle, peaceful stretch of magic for my aura to latch onto.

"Did you ever managed to sort out your problem with magic sensitivity, where you'd get headaches all the time?" shadow asked softly, his tone kept low to keep from waking any of the others around us. "I should have been more conscious earlier of the fact you might not have, but it only now occurred to me."

"No, I'm fine. It still comes and goes occasionally, but I've mostly got a hold on it. To be honest, it's pretty much the least of my problems right now."

"What do you mean?" Shadow asked, the soft green glow of my eyes illuminating the concern written plainly across his face.

"It's... complicated." I sighed, feeling tears prick at the edges of my vision. _Pull yourself together._ I scolded myself _You already have to ask him for help, you aren't going to dump your other problems on him as well._

"You can't just leave me with that." Shadow persisted "I know this is more than what you've told us. I know it's been a long time since we lived together, but I still know you, know your body language. So, what else is is?"

"I don't want to tell you." I sniffed, turning away as I felt my poorly restrained tears begin to trickle down my face. Shadow pulled me back though, a gentle antennae clearing the tears from my cheeks with soft touches, even as more descended to take their place.

"Shadow, stop." I sniffed, filling the faint ripples of pain sliding off him. "I'm hurting you. How?"

"I'm Enderkind now." he explained, giving his wings a shake and letting out another, more pronounced cry of pain "Water damage comes with the territory. Most of it's not you though. I hurt my wings, and so I'm still recovering from that."

"Oh." I sighed, looking down. Shadow seemed to have moved on from what we had built so long ago, replacing what had been lost far more easily than I had been able to. Some days, I still wasn't sure if I was over it.

"But this isn't about me." he said "Tell me what's wrong, Kiri. I can't help you if you won't let me in." The use of the old nickname was enough to push me over the edge, turning me from a somewhat composed being into a mess of tears and unrestrained emotions.

"Come here." Shadow said, scooting himself more completely onto the bed and opening his arms wide, gathering my shaking form into a warm embrace. Squeezing my eyes closed, I could pretend, just for a moment, that nothing had changed. That none of these long, lonely years had passed and we were still happy and safe.

"So, what is is?" Shadow murmured "It would take more than a missing ship to get you all riled up."

"The ship is only half the reason we came." I sighed. Shadow wasn't going to stop until he knew the truth, so I might as well tell him now. "Or at least, the other reason caused this reason. The council of course, was less than pleased with my involvement in the escape of you and your charges, and while they let us be for a time, when they discovered we had at least a rough idea where you had gone, well they gave us a choice. Either lead them to where you were hiding from them, or submit to their will and answer any and all questions they presented to us."

"Which did you choose?" Shadow asked, unreadable emotions flicking across his face.

"Neither." I replied, scolding myself for telling him this in the way I had. It had really made it seem as if I had chosen the first option, and that was why I was so upset. "We met, our leaders that is, and decided it would be better to simply flee, knowing what would become of us if we agreed to their terms. Their questionings... change a person. It is not something I would wish upon another lightly. And the first option, we didn't really consider it. A few leaders mentioned it, but the others pointed out that you most likely had far more defenses than we were capable of getting through at the time. And now, we have even less than that." I felt my tears fall more quickly this time, the reminder of what had happened to so many of my people stirring up distressed emotions within me.

"Shh, it's all right." murmured Shadow, rubbing his arms slowly across my back.

"But it's not." I sobbed, covering my face with my hands. Right now, I wanted nothing more to be away from here, in a place where I could get a hold of myself without anyone seeing. I had wanted so badly to be able to meet Shadow after so long, I had not really considered how it would affect me, and what painful memories it would bring with it.

"What happened, Kiri?" Shadow asked softly, freeing one hand to pull a blanket around both of us.

"It was after we decided to run." I said, doing my best to keep my voice steady through my tears. "We had organized all our supplies, and most of the people into spacecraft, in preparation to move on from the realm, to a location where it was more difficult to find us, but..." At this, I trailed off, making an effort to put my thoughts into words without loosing the few remaining strands of my tattered composure. With some difficulty, I continued. "When we were ready, or at least near to it, I sent out a small scouting expedition, just to get an idea of what we might come up against. You have to understand, we were not a military force. The majority of those among us were civilians, with whatever limited security force we had managed to retain through all the questioning and suspicion. Something happened on that mission though. What exactly it was, we may never know. They encountered some kind of danger, that much we know from the two wounded among their number who managed to make their way back. Unfortunately, the damage they sustained from whatever it was was too great, and they both soon succumbed to their injuries. So it is only their terrified and mostly incoherent preliminary reports that tell us what caused the conflict. Whatever it was though, we believe it belonged to the council. Not even a day and a half later, they came in force, to demand our silence and cooperation. When we asked why they needed such things, they considered it defiance and made an example of some of our kind. We scattered after that, larger ships and a few smaller escorts going off every which way in an effort to loose our council pursuers. Many were lost as we sought to flee our foes. Even now, all our ships have yet to get back together. We stayed apart mostly, for we are still pursued, but we had been intending to get together for good this time. And that was when I felt it again. An odd presence I had last felt when we had been forced to flee. There is something else still after us, besides the ones we already knew about from the council."

"Why are you telling me this?" asked Shadow "I understand that you want me to get a picture of what you've been through, but surely right now is not the best time, what with how upset you are."

"I wanted you to know." I said softly "That way you understand what you are getting into if you agree to help us. I don't want you to help us just because of our past alliances or something like that. Not when you put everything you hold dear in danger by doing so."  
"Kiri, you have to know that there is no choice when it comes to this." said Shadow, shifting back slightly so he could look me in the eye.

"I understand." I murmured, looking away. I should not have expected him to consider such a thing, not when he had those others who he cared for to watch over.

"You misunderstand me, Kiri" he said, turning me back to face him with a soft touch. "The reson it is not a choice is that I hold you close to my hears as well, Kiri. I would not allow harm to come to either you or our people, not when I have any power within me to stop it."

"Thank you." I sniffed, feeling tears streaking down my face. Shifting forward, I rested my forehead on Shadow's shoulder, relaxing into the warm embrace he wrapped tightly around me.

"Sleep now, Kiri." Shadow murmured "We shall do more when morning comes, but until then, rest. I shall watch over you."

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, consider leaving a review. Any questions for me or the characters that you may have can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	84. Texolauren's Transformation

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Hopefully interesting things today, so let's jump right into things! On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Texolauren's POV**

"Ah, the time grows near for the next step to begin." I murmured, resting a barely corporeal hand on the edge of the tank my future form lay within. Only here, in a small pocket of physicality near the center of my realm, was I able to hold anything close to a physical form. But hopefully that fact would change soon, if all things went according to plan.

*What then?* asked Steve softly. His aura had been weakening further as preparations were made, though he was likely unaware of the reason. The shifts in his physical form had taken its toll on what remained of his stability after all. To be fair though, he had already held on much longer than I had anticipated. The auras of most of the ones I had consumed had faded away to nothing long before their bodies reached this state, so it would be a new experience all around. Perhaps things would go more smoothly with Steve still in the picture.

_Then, everything changes._ I said, smirking at the ripples of panic I could feel rolling off of him. Oh yes, this was going to be fun.

A few hours later, I had gathered the last of what I needed for this, mostly extra catalysts for the area to make the transition easier, but most notably, a basin about half a block deep filled with pure magic. This was necessary to fuel the process. I could draw on my own power as a source, indeed I had done so before, but that was risky. There was much more of a chance of something going wrong, and while I had recovered from such things before with little trouble, I could not afford to loose this host. Steve was the first paired lord I had come across in centuries, there was no telling when another might appear. And besides, when the way to prevent damage was so simple, why even bother avoiding it,

"Now, let us begin." I murmured, reaching down and feeling along the side of the tank where Steve's body was kept. Locating a pair of latches, I flipped them open, giving the lid of the tank a hefty shove upwards. The seal was broken with a hiss, splashes of sticky bluish fluid slopping over the edge of the basin. I took a moment to relax my aura, shifting my form until my tentacles, tail and additional eyes had begun to show through on my previously crafteresque form.

_Go on little Stevie._ I cooed, voice dripping with sweetness. _Take a look. You know __you want to._ I tempted him further by drawing back the portion of my aura that usually covered his view of the world. I could hardly have him seeing some of the things I did, knowing how he would react to them. Needless to say, that would be inconvenient.

*Why?* asked Steve hesitantly, though I could feel several questing tendrils of his aura reaching towards the open area.

_Oh, you know. Just so you can see._ I said smoothly _You know you want to. Just a peek. It's been so long you know. And what could it hurt._ I could tell my words had gotten to him, his weak strands of aura forcing themselves the last short distance to allow him to see. I felt a ripple of confusion run through him, an accusatory upsetness that made its way through Steve's flickering aura into mine.

*Its,... what happened?* he asked.

_What ever do you mean?_ I asked, knowing perfectly well what he was talking about.

*What did you do?* he demanded, his aura flickering violently from the turmoil of emotions raging within him.

_Tch._ I snorted _You seem to forget who is in charge here. Need I remind you what I am capable of doing? Because it seems like I might have to give you another demonstration at this rate. _At this, Steve shuddered, his aura drawing in on itself and panic radiating from him.

_ *_No, I just... I didn't mean... It surprised me._*_

_ Ah Steve, __you know the __arrangement._ I crooned, pulling my aura more tightly around his entrapped spirit. _You do as I say and don't resist the __inevitable__, and I show mercy to you, little one. I even, out of the graciousness of my heart, seek to grant you an __existence__ without pain. The least you could do would be a bit __grateful._

*I'm sorry.* he whimpered, his aura shaking, but whether it was from having to force the words out against other feelings, or simply out of terror from the knowledge of what I could do, I could not tell.

_It__'s alright._ I soothed, somewhat exaggerating my supposed comforting._It must be hard, __seeing__ what you once knew as yourself, but changed slightly. You should have known this was coming though. After all, the changes were necessary. I only have one chance at this, and a bit of pre-shifting was needed to help the process along._ I felt a faint surge of acknowledgment from Steve, his aura mostly overwhelmed by quiet shock as he gazed at his physical body. I gave it a quick glance over to ensure everything was how it should be, noting where facial structure had shifted slightly to soon contain three pairs of eyes. Reaching a hand into the fluid, I located the faint ridges where tentacle structures were beginning to form, and slightly lower, the stub of a tail had sprouted. _Excellent._ I thought, baring my teeth in an enormous grin _Everything seems to be going well._ The fluid had been working to cause these shifts, doing what could take thousands of years in an inhabited host in a matter of a hundred years.

"Now, the hard part." I murmured, wiping the fluid on the edge of the tank and taking a few steps back to stand in my main circle. Closing my eyes, I released my form, allowing my magic to pool outwards from my now fluid aura to saturate the rings with power.

_ You want to watch?_ I asked Steve, grinning as I got a firm rush of denial from him. _Well, it's your loss. _I shrugged, closing my third pair of eyes and looping a small strand of magic across the view. It was probably better that Steve not watch this, but it had been too tempting to make the offer. _I will show him how this ends up though._ I thought, turning my attention back to my spell. With the circles now ready, I started to pull from the basin of magic, guiding the flow of power until the circles had started to pull from it instead of me.

Now came the tricky bit. Letting the circles do their own thing, I tentatively probed my future form. Gathering my strength and linking my magic with the surplus still present in the pool, I surged forward, pushing my aura into the confines of Steve's physical form. He reacted violently to this, not only through his aura, the stabs of which I could avoid easily enough, but from his body's natural defenses, something that caused me a bit more trouble. While he had been separated from it, a portion of his aura and the connections where the rest should have been linked were still present. This was what the difficult part of this, overcoming the defenses without causing harm to the form or any of the connection. That would result in an incomplete merging, something that I could deal with in a pinch if I had to, indeed I had before, but I needed this to be a long term solution. Working carefully, I made my way through the maze-like defenses, letting out a breath of relief upon making it to the center. The next step may be the most energy intensive, but it was simple, unlike the delicate maneuvers required to get me here.

Winding preliminary tendrils of my questing aura around the mass of power that dominated the center, I let myself settle for a moment before going all out, pouring as much strength as I could spare into conquering and overcoming the resistance presented to me. The world around me seemed to fade out, and I managed to link the magic left in the pool to the rapid drain just before the darkness overcame me.

I came to slowly, an unfamiliar heaviness keeping me trapped... somewhere. Panicking slightly, for at the moment I could not seem to remember what I had been doing, I thrust an arm up and sideways, letting out a hiss of pain as it came down on something hard, sending up a spray of droplets in its wake. Slightly calmer now, for I was not obviously a prisoner, I opened my eyes, squinting in confusion at how... limited my sight was. Looking down, I saw a lightly tanned body with the remains of blue and cyan garments wrapped around me, and the truth of the matter came to me.

"It worked." I breathed, holding up my hands and examining the play of light over my knuckles and fingers. Sitting up slowly, I grabbed the edge of the tank, making my way out of the depths to the bluish fluid to stand beside the tank, one hand clutching the edge tightly to maintain balance.

"It worked." I said again, still slightly in awe of the fact. I had not expected things to go this well. Closing my eyes, I located where Steve's aura was still joined with mine, the bonds far stronger now that I had overpowered and taken control of his body. He was still unconscious, which was unsurprising considering what he had lost. It would be a while now before he awoke, which would give me time to adapt to my new form.

Walking slowly from the tank, which was now surrounded by a ring of spilled gel, I grabbed a towel from where I had left it on the edge of a table, using it to sponge off the most fluid bits of the gel. It was futile to try to get most of it right now, but at lest it felt like I was accomplishing something this way. After a hundred years submerged in it, a long soak in a hot bath would be the only way to get the majority of it off. Until I had a chance to do that, the towel would have to do.

Finishing wiping, I padded over to a full length mirror pushed against one of the corners of the room, looking myself over curiously. Steve's face looked back at me, and with a click of my fingers, the tattered garments were gone, replaced with intact versions of the same cloths.

"There we go." I murmured "Now, to prepare for what is to come."

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Any questions for the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	85. Seeking and Waiting

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I hope you all have been having a good week, now on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Shatter's POV**

"Cresilia, have your people heard anything about where Israphel and Void's forces might be hiding?" I asked, scooping the last of the food I had prepared onto plates and carrying it to the table. Rumors had been flying lately, but the one thing that they all seemed to have in common was that both Void and Israphel had broken free of their Nether prison and were now at large in the Overworld.

"No, I haven't heard anything beyond vague rumors." Anything she said beyond that was lost to me as a sudden drain of energy ran through me. My vision dimmed and I stumbled, setting the plates I carried down with a heavy thump on the table as I struggled to regain my balance.

_What was that?_ I wondered uneasily, blinking as my eyes tried to adjust back to normal. A faint flicker of pure terror bumped against my aura, and a shiver of unease ran through me._ Something's happened to Steve._ I thought.

A hand on my shoulder brought me out of these thoughts, Cresilia's worried face looking back at me as I brought my focus back to the room. Her questioning gaze was something I couldn't face right now, not when I didn't know what was going on and knowing she would just dismiss any mention of Steve as wistful thinking.

"I'm alright." I said softly "You start eating. I need to check something, and then I'll be right back. Okay?"

"Alright." she nodded, a slight look of concern still faintly visible on her face. Turning away, I quickly made my upstairs before letting go of my composed facade. It always hurt when Cresilia looked at me like that, because I knew the only reason she put up with me at all was because of my ties to Steve. As much as she would like to believe otherwise, she had never moved on from him, and because of that, she stayed at the castle in the Overworld. Why else would she have remained otherwise? Her people would gladly welcome her back, and there was nothing else for her here besides painful reminders of what she had lost.

_Alright Shatter, be strong._ I told myself, letting out a breath as I made my way to my room. Laying on the bed, I closed my eyes, immersing myself in the magic of the area, focusing most closely on my fragile link with Steve. The fearful sendings from before were gone, replaced with an empty numbness that I wasn't really sure about. As I looked closer though, I felt a shift in the link. Another kind of magic slowly wound its way along the link, making progress until it met and flowed into my aura. Startled, I flinched away. What was this odd power that was trying to join with mine?

It was not long before I got my answer. _Texolauren._ I sneered, the name of the lord who had taken Steve bringing a bitter taste to my mouth. The sharp sending surprisingly got little response, a slight ripple of my link with Steve the only sign that I had even been heard. Pushing gently against the link, I still got no response. More boldly now, for I had not had a chance like this before, to be able to check on Steve without the risk of Texolauren noticing, I reached out along our link, following its weak path further than I had dared to do so before.

When I at last caught sight of the end, I slowed my progress, dreading and hopeful at the same time of what I might see. The sight that actually presented itself to me was... surprising to say the least. Steve's delicate aura was completely surrounded by a darker, grayish-green aura that I quickly identified as Texolauren's. This was something that I had been aware of, but it had not really occurred to me that Steve was now literally a part of another lord, as I once had been to him. The only difference there was that while Steve had not been thrilled by my presence, we were still pretty much equals. There was no evidence of that here.

Slightly more cautious, for I had not been aware of just how powerful Texolauren was before now, I flicked my vision back into the physical plane, a handy skill I had learned from times when Steve would not let me see the physical plane. My attempt to look around was distracted though, by the faint ripples of Texolauren's aura stirring. At that, I froze, desperately hoping that it was nothing, just an unconscious movement by the other lord. A few moments later, things seemed to have settled, so I felt brave enough to peek into the room once more. That was a mistake.

Wide teal eyes tinted with gray stared directly back at me from halfway across the room. Steve, and yet, not Steve, stood before me, the sight enough to freeze me in place momentarily. That was all it took for Texolauren to grab me, a band of aura pulling tight around me.

"So, you have found me, or rather, us." not-Steve said, a sharp toothed smirk on his face.

"What is going on here?" I asked, looking him over "Who are you? Because you sure aren't Steve."

"I'll forgive that because I doubt my aura's settled enough for you to tell." he said "I am Texolauren, as you should well know and remember."

"What?" I gasped "But... What? How?"

"What did you think 'taking' Steve entailed?" he asked, shrugging. "This is kind of my thing you know. I'm surprised you of all of them hadn't heard of it. I can understand the Builders, their stories seem to have done all that they can to remove any actual reference to my people while still retaining the few lessons on how to keep us away. But you, you should know of us. You are of the paired kind, surely one of those you met thought to mention my kind."

"I didn't exactly stick around to talk to most of them." I snapped "Most of the time, it was all I could do to keep them off of Steve, those accursed things."

"You should speak more kindly of them." said Texolauren, stepping over to me and running several strands of power across my captive form. "After all, little Stevie is all that stands between you and that fate. You would do well to keep that in mind." With those words, I felt his hold on me diminish, my aura once more under my own control.

"You're just letting me go?" I asked incredulously "After all you've done?"

"I've no use for you." he said, shrugging. "And my energy is better put to use continuing my shifting than on meaningless fights. So go little lord, and remember well what I could have done and yet did not." With that, a surge of power snapped me back to the castle in the Overworld, back to my body.

Still stunned and half unable to process what I had just been confronted with, I curled into a ball, wanting to be alone with my thoughts as I struggled to come to terms with what had changed in my reality.

**Israphel's POV**

_ Ugh, what is taking them so long?_ I thought with irritation _I mean, I know they're slow and easily distracted, but come on! Its not that far!_ It had already been a handful of days since they chased me along the path, and I was beyond frustration. It was getting to the point where I was starting to think the only way I would ever get them here to this little 'test' the others had put together for him would be to hit them over the head and drag them here myself.

"You need to relax." said Texolauren, waving a hand dismissively over the top of the couch he was laying on. From where I sat now, that was all I could see of him, and that fact relieved me more than it probably should have. He had returned from some private business of his yesterday, and when he had, it had been apparent what one of his tasks had been. Now, I had always been aware that Texolauren had taken Steve, but it wasn't until I had been directly confronted with physical evidence of this that I had really begun to understand what that entailed. It had just felt... wrong to see him like that. Or, not him I guess, since Texolauren was now the one within Steve's body. That combined with the fact that he was literally shifting Steve's form with his presence made it extremely difficult for me to even be in the same room with him. It was simply too uncomfortable for me.

"You're not listening to me, are you?" Texolauren's words snapped me from my thoughts, making me instinctively turn towards the sound of his voice. He had sat up to speak to me now, wide eyes peeking over the surfaces between us. Even from here, I could see the change that had begun to shape his form, making him into whatever Texolauren truly was.

"What were you telling me then?" I asked, turning my gaze to the ceiling to avoid looking at him.

"Oh, not much you impatient thing." he said "Just that those ones you have been brooding over for the last age have been prancing about in the village above for the last handful of days."

"Really." I sighed "That's my luck, that something like that would happen and no one would tell me. Well, let me know when they stop playing around and I can do my part."

"Will do." he said, standing and heading up the stairs in the corner of the room. Closing my eyes, I tried to get a bit of sleep before whatever would come next in this crazy escapade.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Now for questions for the characters.**

**From**** Zephyr Knight to Texolauren: ****Have you ever thought of sharing the body with ****S****teve?**

**T****exolauren: I mean, it's not like I'm trying to get rid of him. ****If he can manage to hang around, power to him, its just that the process of taking a host ****often flat out kills the original owner, ****and when it doesn't, they don't usually last long after that. Steve seems to be the exception so far, so who knows, he might hang around. As for flat out sharing fifty-fifty, well that wouldn't really work out. And he is on the "other team" anyway I suppose, so there's that. He's better off where he is really. If he were fighting us, he would be in so much pain, but this way, he is sheltered from most of what is going on. **

**I****f anyone has any questions for me or the characters, they can be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	86. Deception and Capture

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Let's get right into things, so on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast**

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**Israphel's POV**

"M'lord, the spaceman and the dwarf have been to see me." Reverend John's voice carried from across the room, bowing low upon seeing me awake. It still felt quite... odd, to have a Crafter call me lord. Mobs, that I was used to. After all, both zombie and Creeper boss swore alliance to me. But with John, things were different. To be fair though, it was quite amusing to have someone going around calling those would be heroes 'the dwarf' and 'the spaceman', something that I would have to remember if I ever wanted to annoy them. I hadn't really bothered telling him more than basic things like that about them, since there was no reason for him to know about them, which led him to go with the most obvious names possible.

"Have they now?" I asked, standing and straightening my outfit. Reverend John nodded vehemently, rising from his bow but keeping his gaze glued to the floor. That was one thing he was always careful to do, almost as if he thought that if he didn't, then I would react as an Enderman would.

"Yes." he said "I sent them into the dungeon like you asked." The way he spat out the word dungeon reminded me what had needed to be done to set this up.

"You agreed to this." I reminded him "You offered your dwelling as the location for this trap."

"I know I did." he snapped "If you were in my situation, would you have done any differently? You and your associates offered me a chance to be with my son again, even if it is a small one. Would you give up a chance like that, especially if you knew that if you did otherwise, you would never have a chance of seeing the one you loved again."

"Don't speak to me of love." I hissed, reminders of past emotions straining at the barriers I had put into place. Closing my eyes, I took a moment to calm myself, saying "We could have used one of the other houses." Seeking some kind of explanation, I gave him a long look, asking "Why insist we use yours?"

Reverend John paused at this, thinking. At last he said "I... don't know. Why would I care for them? They never helped me. For realism then. That inn-keeper Peculiar knows where I live, as do Daisy and the others. If things were done differently, they'd never believe it." I noted his answer, reminded of the taint that clouded his thoughts. Void had insisted on it as a slight precaution, but the amount was nothing compared to what had been used against Peculiar. There was something that Void inherently distrusted about him, and so he desired to keep him as close as possible without giving ourselves away.

"Good, things seem to be going as planned. While they are occupied with trying to retrieve whatever you sent them to find, we have another task."

"What is is?" he asked hesitantly, noticing the dark smirk on my face.

"We are going to go and capture the blacksmith girl. She shall be an instrumental part of our plans, both as bait now, and as a part of something... larger, later on."

"But she's innocent." Reverend John protested.

"And the others are not?" I asked dryly "You agreed to this. You turned your back on the teachings of Notch and the others. You gave yourself to the dark arts. So, if you stay allied with us, you stick to the plan."

John nodded, averting his eyes as he led the way from the fortress, up through the crypt, and out into the daylight. The small square was empty of people, a few farm animals milling around the fountain in the center. From the house on the hill, an overgrown thing with flames flickering in the windows from the few blocks of netherrack we had supplied John with.

"We've got to be quick and quiet." I hissed, pulling my hood up to conceal my pale features. It would hardly do for Daisy to catch some glimpse of my Creeper-like features and discover that something was amiss.

"You go on." I said to Reverend John as we approached the Duke family smithy. "We don't want her running on us or making a fuss. I'll follow after you." He nodded slowly, taking a few hesitant steps towards the doorway. He took a deep breath and pushed open the wooden door, doing his best to appear normal.

"Oh, hello Reverend." said Daisy brightly, looking up from where she was placing several completed projects into a chest near her forge. "What brings you here?"

"Oh, eh, I was wondering if you had any spare torches. The ones in the church have been burning out quite quickly, so I was wondering if you had any I could have. I don't really have enough time to make more before it gets dark." Taking a fleeting look at the sky, where the sun was still quite far from the horizon, I had to fight the urge to face palm. Was there no better excuse he could have thought of?

Daisy looked a bit confused at this, taking a look of her own at the still bright sky that had me diving to the side of the entryway to avoid her gaze. After a moment though, she shrugged, perhaps assuming that the strange request was just a quirk brought on by Reverend John's advancing age.

"Sure you can have some." she said "Just give me a second, and I can grab some. Would you like to come in while you wait?" He gave me a questioning glance through the window as she turned to attend to some little thing on the forge. I nodded, just enough movement to indicate my approval without the chance of drawing any unwanted attention. He walked into the dim building, his position leaving the door half open, for me to follow at my convenience.

"Just give me a second here, I was sure I had some here a minute ago." Daisy called over her shoulder as she rummaged through the chest. I took that as my cue to enter, stepping thought the doorway and closing the door tightly behind me.

"Ah, here we are, Reverend" said Daisy "I've got a quarter stack here, will that be..." Her words trailed off as she turned around, catching a glimpse of my atypical features beneath my black cloak.

"What's going on?" She asked, taking a step back from the pair of us. "Is this some kind of joke Reverend?" She asked, a note of fear entering her voice. "If it is, it's not very funny. And who is this? Some new disciple of Notch's teachings?"

"No Daisy." said John, a slightly ominous tone entering her voice. "I no longer teach those that follow his ways. I am now a student of another power, another lord."

"Indeed." I murmured, taking a step towards her. "And though you don't know it yet, you are a part of this, a large part."

"What are you talking about?" she demanded, making a halfhearted swipe at the forging materials behind her in an attempt to gain some advantage over us.

"I wouldn't do that." I chided, drawing my bow and quickly cornering her, pressing one edge of the carefully sharpened bow limbs against her throat. "I wouldn't struggle." I said, looking her straight in the eyes so I could be sure she caught a glimpse of my non-Crafter features. Crafters were always so much more likely to cooperate if you motivated them with a little fear, something that Steve had never been willing to embrace. "We wouldn't want something to happen to this pretty face of yours." Glaring at me, she pursed her lips and spat a long strand of saliva at me, trying to bite the hand that held my bow as my instinctive flinch away from her projectile loosened my hold on my bow. Glaring at her, I positioned my bow more carefully against her throat, freeing my other hand enough to give her a loud, hard smack right across her cheek.

"Don't you do that again." I snapped "I thought we might be able to do this the easy way, without any problems, but it seems that you have chosen otherwise. I will give you one last chance. Behave, and cooperate with us, and you can just come with us. If you don't behave, well then I will be forced to secure you and take you along anyway, against your will." Reverend John had been quiet throughout this encounter, but at my words I sensed him tense slightly behind me. Clearly I was making him uncomfortable with this whole thing. After all, while he may have given up Notch's teachings in words, in practice it was a bit harder when he had been with us for such a short period of time.

"I will never cooperate with the likes of you." she hissed, pushing herself as far back into the corner as possible.

"So be it." I shrugged. Reaching into a pocket, I pulled out several lengths of string and did my best to secure her hands behind her without releasing my hold on her. A sound of movement close by reminded me of the sensitive nature of all this.

"Alright, I'll take her down to the fortress. With any luck, those zombies and the few extra things down there will be enough to deal with them. If all goes well, we shall soon make an effort to reunite you with your son." Reverend John nodded, watching as I led Daisy and trailing slowly after us, lost in his own thoughts.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Any queations for me or the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	87. Planning and Watching

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Let's get into things right away, so on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Star's POV**

*Texolauren, could you possibly spare me a moment?* I heard Israphel send, irritation as well as intense focus permeating his words.

_Texolauren's not around right now._ I said, locating Void's chosen and materializing beside him. He jumped at the sudden sight of me, my glowing aura condensing into a more solid form. I allowed a slight grin of amusement to creep across my features at his reaction. While he may be Void's chosen, he still should have a healthy level of fear and respect for me.

"Ah, well, I guess that's fine." he said "I needed someone to watch those two pesky heros for a bit, while I take this one down to the fortress." He gestured to the woman he had restrained, her eyes wide as she took in my appearance.

**This is the one you are to use?** I asked, giving the woman, barely more than a girl really, a long look. **Was Void not able to find one with more magic within her, or at least a potential for it?**

Israphel shrugged, looking his captive up and down. "I don't know. I haven't seen many women around, so that may be part of it. She is... different, than many Crafter women I have seen though. She works in a smithy for one thing, tending it constantly and even making armor and the like herself, while her family manages a similar one in Mistral City. Most girls who would come form a family like that would be high profile socialites, but she rejected that easy life in preference of this more rewarding one. I think it is that spark of independence and diligence that made Void choose her, especially considering that Crafters of magical potential are far and few between, and because of that, any of them that would suddenly disappear might cause quite a stir.

**I suppose.** I mused, considering his points as I watched her reaction. This woman, Daisy, seemed not to know what to make of our conversation, caught somewhere between indigence, panic and begrudging thanks, with the mixture of these thoughts leaving her speechless.

"Anyway." said Israphel, shifting his grip on Daisy's bonds to hold them more securely. "It would be great if you could go and do that while I take this one down to the fortress. Reverend John should be posted in the crypt to keep an eye out for them, but he seemed to think that the little dungeon diversion I set up for them would be enough to stop them entirely. Personally, I think he far underestimates what any person with an even competent grasp on reality can do with a decent sword, but then again, he doesn't have the best grasp on reality himself I suppose. I think the only reason he hasn't done something crazy by now is that he is clinging to that last hope that Void will uphold his promise and reunite him with his son."

**Yeah, not sure what his chances are on that one.** I said, flicking my partially

corporeal wings slightly in an imitation of a shrug. **I mean, Void is good at getting around order rules, but I don't know if he would bother at this point. I mean, this is something he only considers for the most precious of his chosen, that's how much it takes out of him.**

"So you lied to him." Daisy snapped, surprising both of us with her sudden words. Apparently she had actually been listening and paying attention to our conversations.

**I suppose.**I said. At this point, I didn't really care what her opinion of us was. **Then again, Void simply said that he would put in his best effort. Who's to say that he was not just foiled by the strength of all this order magic that's still permeating the realms. After all, we've had trouble with things like this on far less concentrations of that power.**

"It's still wrong." she hissed, straining against her bonds.

**Is it?** I asked **Or is it a kinder alternative to what you would have us say? That his child it forever lost to him, at least in this world. What then? Would you be able to live with that guilt, the knowledge of what internal struggle you caused him, and any additional actions your words might cause him to pursue. You know he wishes to reunite with his child, and he's not the most stable. There's one action that comes to mind when those details are put together, especially considering that that he has turned his back on Notch's ways and his forays into the dark arts have led nowhere.**

Daisy seemed speechless upon hearing my words, conflict clearly written across her features.

"I hate to break up this lovely conversation of yours," said Israphel dryly "But those heros won't stay looking through that dungeon forever, so we should be going."

**They might do.** I snickered **Texo told me how hard it was for you to get them here in the first place.**

"Well, hopefully this will be different." Israphel sighed, turning and dragging Daisy after him down the tunnel. A few cries of protest drifted up the corridor as they went, but Israphel's magical bindings, woven into the simple strings that bound her, held firm.

_Well, off to watch some little heros._ I thought _Maybe they'll provide some level of amusement. If not, well I'll figure something out._

_ Oh, things look like they might be going somewhere now._ I thought, flicking my aura one layer closer to the material plane to observe their progress. They had been making their way out of the dungeon house when I went looking for them, seeking out Reverend John to tell him they had been unsuccessful in their attempt to retrieve what he had told them was lost, a bible supposedly kept in his house and carried away by the monsters. Of course, there was no such item, indeed their never had been, but it had taken them a good while to determine that there might be something more going on here, even with Peculiar's assistance and words on how the Reverend had changed after his child had been lost. They had been quite frustrated after finding that both Daisy and Reverend John had disappeared, only for Xephos to catch a glimpse of John's name through his code magic just before Peculiar suggested that he might be in the crypt, lingering in silent misery over his son's grave.

I watched as the pair of them trailed fairly quietly down the stairs, seemingly oblivious of Peculiar trailing after them. They spent a handful of quiet moments puzzling over the identities of the others buried in the room before John noticed them.

_What now then?_ I thought, watching them stand off with the Reverend.

"My lord said you would not return." he hissed "Taste my holy blade!"

_That's quite ironic._ I thought wryly _Considering that he pretty __much__ swears to no holy lord at all, and possibly not even an unholy one._

Xephos lept back almost in anticipation of the swipe John brandished at them, but Honeydew was not quite fast enough, earning him a short graze along his side. Xephos took the opportunity to attack, shoving his slightly wounded friend behind him and quickly taking down his opponent with hasty strikes of his diamond blade.

Rolling my eyes, I clicked my fingers, calling upon the magic needed to teleport Reverend John elsewhere even as Xephos prepared his final strike. To some, it might seem odd that his body simply vanished, leaving only a scattering of items behind in its wake, but Xephos's eyes narrowed at the sight even as he bent down to leaf through the items that had been left.

_He knows something of what I have done_. I thought, regarding his tall form _We must watch our actions around him. I know not how much he can detect_. A small smile came to my lips though, as I took in their reactions to seeing "Israphel's" grave, as well as Peculiar's seemingly sudden appearance behind them, after he had witnessed the entire event. They made some half-hearted excuse about how John had gone mad with grief and attacked them, but they could have said that winged pigs had descended from the sky and cursed him with evil and Peculiar probably would have believed them, that was how deeply Void's Chaos sickness had taken hold of him.

I took a moment to send Israphel an update on what had happened as they lingered over the grave, musing over who the lord John had spoken of was. It was all I could do to keep flashes of my amusement from flashing into the material plane as they discussed quietly what to do about the grave. It was hard enough to explain away the flashes of light when one individual caught sight of the glowing orbs of light, let alone a group.

_This is amusing, yes._ I sighed cheerily, watching the discussion they were having with Peculiar over Israphel and vague references of how they had "most certainly not burned anything. No, why would you even suggest something like that? That would be silly."

Xephos excused himself from the conversation after a moment, trailing down into the crypt once more and I let him go, enjoying the odd conversation between Peculiar and Honeydew. A ripple of alarm from Xephos of all people ran through me, and blinked in surprise, shifting my aura over to where he was, with the intent of discovering what had surprised and worried him so much that a ripple of power that strong would have been transferred to me.

Things began to make sense as I saw him standing over Israphel's grave, the wooden slab now missing, replaced by a copious pile of ashes. Honeydew and Peculiar soon followed down, leaving the three of them staring at what lay within. A doorway lay within the chamber, a door closing off one of the tunnels into the small fortress under the town.

_Hm, forgot that was there._ I thought, watching their shock as they trailed a bit further into the tunnels before retreating, intent on gathering more supplies. _Eh, just another chance to see what they can do._

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Any questions you may have for me or the characters can be left in a review or PM'ed to me. I hope you all have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	88. Past and Present

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Not much to say, so on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Notch's POV**

"Notch, come look at this!" a cheerful voice called, and my eyes snapped open, revealing a startlingly beautiful pastel blue sky. Long streaks of pale lavender stretched across the sky, deepening to a rich violet at the very edge of the horizon.

_What the?_ I thought, taking in the immaculate landscape. Wherever I was, it was defiantly not the Aether. Every little growing thing seemed to be perfectly tended, and as I looked around, streaks of electric green power seemed to trace the lines of each of them just before they passed the outermost limits of my vision. The effect was quite disorienting actually, and I flopped back down on the grass, closing my eyes tightly against the unfamiliar and disconcerting sight.

"Notch, are you alright?" the same voice from before asked, one that was now painfully familiar.

"Yeah." I sighed, not questioning why he was here, how he could possibly be here.

"You're not though!" he insisted, shaking my shoulder until I begrudgingly opened my eyes. The sight that presented itself to me was... strange, to say the least. A much younger Herobrine stood before me, looking me over with concern clear in his wide eyes. Soft ripples of concern spilled over into my aura, and opening myself ever so slightly to the magic, I was amazed by how pure his aura was, undamaged from years of fear and anger, some of which I had caused.

"I'm fine." I murmured, trying to stand and finding, much to my surprise, that Herobrine was not the only one who seemed to have inexplicably changed. I was also in a much younger form than before, and I took a moment to acclimate myself with the strange feeling of being in a body that was mine, and yet felt so unfamiliar.

_Was that a dream?_ I wondered, looking over my much smaller hands, searching for any sign that this was some kind of illusion. _Was all of that, all those thing__s I did, some kind of nightmare?_

"What's wrong?" asked Herobrine persistently "Come on, I know there's something."

"It's nothing now." I said reassuringly, giving him a soft pat on the shoulder. "Just a bad dream. Now, what did you want to show me?"

"Oh yeah!" he said, his face lighting up with enthusiasm as he remembered. "It's right over here. Come on, I'll take you there!" He grabbed my arm and ran off, practically dragging me along after him. It was all I could do to stay on my feet. "It should be right around here." he exclaimed, coming to a stop so quickly that I fell face first into a large patch of sweet smelling fuchsia flowers.

"What is it?" I groaned, picking myself up off the ground.

"I can't really explain it." he said "But I'll know it when I see it."

_Well, that's odd._ I thought. Herobrine was always eager to show things like this, but usually when prompted he would immediately start giving really obvious hints about what it was that he wanted to show me. He simply could not wait to share what he had found, and this enthusiasm spilled out every which way.

"That's odd." he said, reaching down towards something concealed in the grass. "Is this is? It looks different than before." A streak of fear so intense I almost fell to the ground ran through me. Not fear for myself though, fear for Herobrine, and some premonition that whatever he was doing would lead to great harm for him.

"Herobrine, stop!" I cried, reaching to drag him away from whatever object he was trying to grab, but it was too late. Herobrine's hand closed around the object, a fair sized shard of what looked like volcanic glass, quite out of place here, that shimmered with an inner captive light.

"See, it's fine." he assured me. "Nothing happened, I'm fine." As he spoke, a flash of light ran through the shard, moving outwards like a ripple on a lake in a wide, ruby-tinted circle.

"Drop it!" I exclaimed, grabbing his arm and making an effort to pull him away from the illuminated area, a place my instincts told me was not safe to remain in under any circumstances.

"What's going on?" Herobrine asked, a flicker of fear racing through his previously elated emotions. The shard was still clutched tightly in his hand, but the color had gone from it, leaving the previously immaculate surface dull and lusterless.

"I don't know." I admitted, drawing him further up the gradual slope as whatever had been released from the stone reached further outwards. As we moved, Herobrine tripped, his progress hindered by some small rock or branch hidden in the lush grass. He let out a soft cry of pain as he impacted the ground, the grass covering doing little to cushion his fall. Alarmed by both his plight and the increasing speed at which the stain was spreading towards us, almost seeming to be aware of what was going on, I reached desperately for him, not wanting to loose him again, not when I might be able to prevent it.

My actions were futile though. The red stain, now far darker than before as it spread along the ground, engulfed Herobrine. I held on for a minute longer, feeling the stain worming its way up my arm even as I struggled to reclaim Herobrine from the edge of its clutches. A flash of pain engulfed me as the stain stopped its pursuit of me, instead focusing its power on separating us.

"No... you... don't." I hissed, clenching my teeth as I tried to fight through the pain, intent on keeping hold on Herobrine, to pull him back to me. A second, far stronger surge of power surged against me, the effects amplified beyond what it should have been due to my younger form. With a sharp gasp, I felt my fingers slip from around Herobrine's arm, the sudden release of tension after minutes of pulling sending me crashing back against the slope, winded. A swift breeze suddenly picked up around the stained circle of earth, hot wind that brought with it the scent of heat and ash. A darker patch seemed to emerge from the center, even as Herobrine's prone body was drawn towards it, his form worryingly still fro such an active child.

A moment later, a figure began to rise from the darker pool at the center, little clear on the form save for the fact that the eyes were ablaze, bright patches like coals in the midst of an almost inky darkness that was otherwise present. A heartbeat later, Herobrine was drawn into the mass of darkness, his form flickering back into its adult version. As it did, I felt my body shift. Something was going on here, and I was quite sure that I wanted no part of it. A shuddering pulse of magic ran through the whole area, causing the previously pristine landscape from my childhood to dissolve, instead replaced with a twisted mix of the Nether and shaking tendrils of Void's power. I left out a soft sigh of relief at being returned to my normal form, a small happy occurrence amidst all the other strange and terrifying things that I could see happening around me.

"Why is this happening?" I whispered, gazing at the shifting form before me. The formally dark shape had shifted, becoming a horrifying caricature of everything I feared and dreaded that Herobrine might have become. Taking in the sights, I drew in on myself, not wanting to deal any longer with the facts reminding me of what I had done to Herobrine.

**That's enough of this.** A powerful voice exclaimed, and a moment later, I felt the world around me fade. I sat up abruptly, snapping my eyes open and taking in my dim surroundings through the curtain of my hair.

"A dream, just a dream." I assured myself, letting my power flow out through my realm to center myself, keeping me grounded enough to see that this was the real world.

"Who was that?" I wondered aloud, getting shakily to my feet. I had absolutely no idea who it was that had suddenly snapped me from my dream, and I was quite keen on figuring it out.

"You mean me?" a voice asked from the doorway. Startled, I abruptly turned to see who had entered, intent on discovering their identity and why they had dared to enter my private chambers.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review, they really help me to know what you all do and do not like. Any questions for me or the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you all have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter! Bye! :D**


	89. Regret and Comfort

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Let's get right into things, so on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast**

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**Notch's POV**

"Why are you here?" I hissed, taking sight of the figure who had spoken. "You know I hardly enjoy the fact that you insist on remaining in my realm at all. The least you could do would be to keep your tail out of my business."

"Don't get your wings in a twist." he sighed, crossing his arms. "I mean, it's not like I was the one who pulled you out of your dream state or anything. Tch, next time I'll remember how ungrateful you can be and just leave things be. Destiny can be the one to fish you out then, though she'll take her sweet time with it. She's not exactly a fan of you, you know. You may both be on order's side, or at least I assume you are, but your recent actions have done little to endear you to her."

"My dream." I said, still considering his earlier words. "That... that was you? Truly?"  
"Yes, yes. Why is that so hard for you to believe?" he said, waving a hand dismissively.

"Because, it is like you said." I stated, taking a slight step forward. "I side with order, and you oppose our goals. Why would someone like you ever voluntarily help me, without something else they hope to gain."

"Ah, so naive." Will sighed, reaching up to brush a few strands of dark hair out of his eyes, slipping a few of the longer pieces back behind his horns. "You still think this goes like a fairy tale, good versus evil with clear lines any child could follow as to which is which. Thing is, it doesn't work like that, good stars, it never has."

"Your wrong." I snapped, his words starting to get to me once more, but in an entirely different way. Could what he had said... be true? Almost unconsciously, I took a step back. Not for fear of Will, who I could probably handle, but to distance myself from his words. Words could be slippery things, worming their way into your mind until they had convinced you of their intentions.

"I know what you're doing." I hissed, narrowing my eyes. "And it won't work. I know how to counter your little tricks of chaos."

"Really." he responded, looking amused. "That would be quite something, given that in order to do that, you would first have to get me to do a so called 'trick of chaos'." he made air quotes as he spoke the last bit, rolling his eyes in feigned irritation. "Unless you mean snapping you from your dream, in which case, I could always send you back if you're that touchy about it."

"Stop trying to confuse me." I snapped "I know you're up to something, and whatever it is, it's not going to work." At this, Will seemed to relax slightly, practically the opposite response to what I had expected, given my outburst.

"Ah, it's funny." he said quietly, crossing his arms loosely across his chest and turning to gaze out the low window, through which the first delicate colors of the approaching dawn could be seen. "How you act, your responses. You're so sure of yourself, that you know what is best. You remind me of myself, when I was younger, newer, to this while ever-shifting game we lords seem to play."

"You're wrong." I insisted, that same nagging voice from before making itself known again. "I am nothing like you."

"You say that as if it is a good thing." Will said "But really, what does it matter? My point was not that because we are alike, we must do the same things, but rather that we seem to share some similar motivations. It's plain to see that you love your brother, as deeply as..." At this, he paused, taking a deep breath and seeming to gather his strength. "As deeply as I care for Miritayen." It wasn't lost on me that though he had quite easily labeled my bond with Herobrine, he had artfully skipped around such labels for his own.

"Why do you do that?" I asked. After all, he had been the one to wake me up and disturb me, so I felt it more than justified a bit of prying into his personal life. "Be so free with your words and thoughts about others, while skating over your own like they're wild creatures."

"Chaos nature." he said somewhat dismissively, glancing back over his shoulder towards me. "When your power is tied to something that thrives on change and disorder, you become a bit more reluctant to give any relationships you have, both platonic and more so, finite and binding labels. It makes them seem as if they are either stiflingly constrictive or doomed to fade and shift all too soon."  
"Oh." I said, not sure how to respond to that. The forlorn and slightly misty look had returned to his eyes, stirring faint memories of Shadow from when I was far younger, from when we had left, what seemed to my younger self, a pretty good life, to dash across dozens of realms, staying in no one place long enough for it ever to feel like home. Shadow had had that same look about him for much of that time, one I had never been quite able to place. Until now. Now, it was quite apparent that what Shadow had felt then, and what Will felt now were one and the same, a wistful longing to be reunited with someone they had lost.

_Who would it be?_ I wondered, my conflict with Will momentarily forgotten. _I mean, with Will, its kind of obvious, given who he has been pining over for the last hundred or so years,__ but for Shadow? I haven't got half a clue as to who it might be. All I really recall are flickers of that time, the curse of our kind's long lives._

"You just going to sit there?" asked Will, snapping me from my thoughts suddenly. "Or are you going to finish being all upset and shouty towards me. I'd rather get it through with now, y'know considering I pretty much live here."

"Uh, well." I stammered, searching my thoughts for where things had been left before I had been distracted. "Oh, why do you assume that I have this deep love for Herobrine?" I shot back at him, eyes narrowing. "We've never gotten along, we fight almost perpetually, and if you don't remember, there is the matter of what I did to him. How can you even think that I hold any love for him, after all he's done and put me through?"

"You say these things, but your actions speak louder." Will murmured, taking several steps towards me, his tail snaking around his ankles as he moved. "Those conflicts were insignificant, little more than the occasional spat between siblings, something that is inevitable in a family of almost any type. As for your, ah, more recent actions, don't tell me you truly meant him lasting harm." He reached over and slid a finger below one of my eyes, collecting the gleaming droplets that had fallen without my knowledge. "You just wanted to try to help. You were scared and you over reacted. It's not your fault, its the fault of whoever caused this."

At his words, I practically collapsed, the strength leaving my legs as my body relaxed for the first time since it happened. Will seemed to be expecting this, his arms already outstretched to catch me when my knees began to shake. Closing my eyes, I let my tears flow freely, not wanting to see his reaction to this, and yet, having no desire to keep it in any longer. Will was hardly the one I would have chosen to cry on, him being hardly a part of this and all, but if he was going to volunteer for this, I was hardly going to turn it down. I hadn't realized how badly I needed someone to say that, that what I had done did not mean that Herobrine was worthless to me, that it didn't mean that I had never loved him.

"Shh, its alright." murmured Will, quite easily picking me up and going over to sit on the bed. My common sense told me this probably wasn't a great idea, but when emotions got a hold of me, there wasn't really much that side of me could do about it other than wait it out. I had kept things to myself for far too long, and my emotional side wanted nothing more than to curl up with someone to cry on and let it all out, until I was finally able to sleep. Sleep, that with any luck, would be free of nightmares for the first time in what felt like years.

"I will watch over you." he said, almost in answer to my thoughts and fears. "I may not have as much power over dreams as some of the others, but I shall do my best to keep them pleasant.

I nodded slightly, feeling almost empty without the intense buildup of emotions, the exertion of freeing them making me drowsy. This combined with the soft warmth spilling off Will soon had me on the edge of sleep, nearing the point I had been dreading every night before. Unconsciously, I trailed my magic outward, linking small parts of it to my realm, but allowing the strongest strand to go further, along a path I had been neglecting far too much recently.

I almost stopped when I sensed the first traces of his aura, not wanting to make things worse, for he surely still held what I had done against me. But a moment later, I could hold myself back no longer. I was upset and lonely, and wanted some familiar comfort, one I had been able to turn to always when I was younger, no matter the cause. Brushing a faint tendril of power across his aura, I felt him flinch away at first, still wary. I moved away slightly in response, until his aura rose to meet mine.

*I still don't forgive you* he sent softly, his words almost as sleep tinged as I felt.

_S'alright._ I sighed _I didn't think you would. But I need you._

*Alright* he sighed *Just tonight.*

_Just tonight._ I agreed, allowing myself to slip off to a peaceful sleep.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Any questions for me or the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	90. Recovery and New Perils

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Before we get into things, I just wanted to mention that it is getting towards the holiday season, and I would like to hear what all of you would like to see from me relating to that. Last year I made a one-shot book, _Twelve days of Craftsmas_, and if any of you would like to see something like that, I would love to hear prompt suggestions. So, any ideas relating to any of those can be PM'ed to me or left in a review. Now, on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

**Will's POV**

_Looking at him, you'd never know what he's been through._ I thought as I looked over the lord asleep beside me. The end of my tail was draped over his waist to alert me if he woke up, but besides that I was not touching him. I figured it would be better for him not to wake up cuddling with someone he barely knew, and I really didn't want magic thrown in my face. Besides, I had felt his hesitant linking with his brother's magic, which should stabilize his powers enough to keep things calm. Honestly, they spent this long apart and didn't expect problems? It's like they had learned nothing from past occurrences. Chaos may have been my thing, but even I knew that the bonds of lords as close as they were depended strongly on one another, feeding off each other's power to remain linked. By separating themselves like this, their power was forced to choose between allowing these bonds strong and keeping them healthy. Since it wanted to abandon neither, both tasks suffered, leaving both Notch and his brother significantly weakened, with fragile bonds that would take some time to renew.

_Least this keeps my mind from... __other __things._ I thought idly, skating dangerously close to some of the more delicate topics that bothered me. Before my runaway thoughts could lead me somewhere I did not wish to go, I glanced out the window, noting the slight dimming of the light as the sun passed it's apex and began to descend low enough that, from this angle, it's light was completely blocked by the palace.

_That dream must have really worn him out._ I thought, glancing over at Notch's sleeping form. _Well, that and the fact he hasn't been sleeping well for quite a while, but still. This is quite a while to sleep even taking that into account._

I was considering what the best way to wake him might be when I felt him stir, his wings flicking upwards slightly as he raised his arms, stretching and slowly blinking as he awoke. As carefully as possible, I extracted my tail from where it was draped across him, trying not to make too much of a fuss about it. I was unsure as to how much of the previous night, well day I guess, given how late it had been, he would remember, and I really didn't want to accidentally get myself targeted or some such because of a misunderstanding. I needed to be able to stay here, and anything that worked against that was something I had to deal with quite carefully.

"'sit morning?" he mumbled, reaching a lazy hand up to rub one eye as he sat up partially, his expression still clouded with drowsiness. "That was a good sleep. Why can't I have more like that?"

"Yes, it's morning. Well, more like afternoon at this point, but you know, close enough, and I'm glad you slept well. I wasn't sure how well I was doing at keeping those, ah, less pleasant dreams away."

Notch looked surprised to hear a response to his words.

"I forgot you were here." he sighed, untangling his wings from the sheets that clung to them and allowing their soft glow to spill across the room. Already I could tell that this one sleep session had done him wonders. He looked far less jumpy than before, and a great deal of the color had returned to his wings, making them a yellowish-gold hue rather than the pale yellow they had been before.

"Well, you're up now, so unless you need something, I'll just be on my way." I said, standing and taking a handful of steps towards the doorway. I heard a soft sound of acknowledgment from him, but anything that might have followed was lost to me as a surge of power ran through me, of a kind that was most defiantly not my own.

"What was that?" Notch asked, sounding quite off put but at least more awake than before.

"I don't know." I answered, reminding myself that this was his realm, of course he could feel it strongly. This was not something I could simply wave away as nothing, to deal with myself when no other distractions were around. Whatever it was.

"Uh, I guess I'll go see what it was." Notch said hesitantly, sliding off the bed. He straightened his cloths with a quick shake, running a hand through his long hair to smooth it into some semblance of order.

"I might as well come with you." I said idly, sensing the unspoken request hanging in the air. Right now, it seemed like the last thing Notch wanted to happen was for him to end up alone, especially when there could be some unknown danger lurking around. "It's not like I've been much help lately, hanging around and moping and all that. I might as well make an effort to help out a bit, what with how long I've stayed."

Notch merely nodded in acknowledgment at this, but I felt a flash of relief run through him, the powerful emotions slipping free from whatever fragile hold he had on them. I said nothing of this though. I knew how upsetting it could be to have one's unconscious feelings displayed to the world, and it was not a feeling I wished upon others.

I followed his lead as he seemed to follow some invisible sign to where ever he sensed the disturbance. I was out of practice from a hundred years of idle stillness, and Notch's connection to this realm would present the location of whatever trouble there was to him clearly.

We stopped on a fair sized balcony overlooking the edge of the Aether island, long shadows thrown across it's surface from the sun's slow decline. I was brighter in this section of the building, but even so, it would not be long before the last of the light faded from the sky, inviting the night time creatures to roam.

"There is nothing here." said Notch, his words laced with disbelief. "But... how? How can that be? Something has to be causing that signal. It's not the kind of thing that would just happen on its own."

Opening myself slightly for what felt like the first time in ages, I sent light tendrils of power questing out across the area, seeking out the disturbance Notch had mentioned, and also keeping an eye out for any unusual things that seemed to stand out. If nothing else, they might give me an idea of who or what we might be up against.

Surprisingly though, it was not something in the magic plane at all that first allerted me to what was going on. No, it was a soft halo of light around a small potted plant, a spot that had initailly been bathed in the rays of the shining sun, but now, even though the rays had moved beyond that point, the glow still remained.

"What's this here?" I asked, taking a step closer to examine the thing, cupping my hands around the plant for a moment before grabbing it, lifting it away from the spot as fast as I could with an exclamation of discovery. The out of place spot of sunlight stuck in place for a moment, before seeming to peel away from the surface, reaching back out towards the plant.

"Uh, Notch? I think you should see this." I said, my gaze flicking between the spot and the plant, unsure as to which was actually causing the problem. He glanced up from where he was looking over the edge of the balcony, searching for any disturbances, and swore at the sight that greeted him.

"What did you do?" he asked, turning to examine both things.

"Just lifted it up." I said, starting at the spot. Instinct and perhaps something a bit more, a reminder of someone else telling me that the plant was simply a disguise here, and that the spot was the real problem here.

"Hold this." I said, passing Notch the plant. I had no idea if it was important or not, and I didn't want to accidentally drop it off a balcony while doing this if it was actually useful.

Closing my eyes, I opened mental ones in the magic plane, seeking to investigate more clearly in the realm I suspected something was concealed. Poking it with a tendril of power, the splash of power seemed to split along some hidden seam in the middle, widening to become a much larger rift. A gasp in the real world was enough to pull me back to awareness, where a similar sight greeted me. A flash of light filled the area, and when it dimmed, a figure was revealed, floating a good distance above the platform and regarding us with an amused expression.

"Miss me?" he asked, as my mind struggled to grasp what I was seeing.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, reviews are always appriciated. Any questions for me or the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	91. An Enemy's Return

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Not much to say, save that I'm sorry it's a bit short. I thought I was on schedule, then Civ happened, :P Anyway, on with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast**

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**Will's POV**

My mind finally managed to get its act together, and I shook myself out of my stunned daze, knowing that I had to keep alert. I could sense that Notch was quite out of his depth here, confused and muddled traces of emotions rippling off of him to layer the area around us.

"Why are you here?" I growled, narrowing my eyes at where _he_ still floated. Flicking my gaze away for half a second, I centered myself, pulling in my aura and raising mental defenses. After last time, well I was taking no chances.

"What, is it a crime to walk the realms?" he asked, rolling his eyes. "You do it often enough after all."

Sighing, I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. Why did he have to be so intolerable on top of everything else.

"How are you here?" I clarified, spitting out the words through gritted teeth. "You and your kind are bound to your plane. Sure, there's that process, but that takes time. More time than you've had."

"It's because of this one." he said, gesturing to himself, or rather the one he was possessing. "I tried a couple new things, and poof, time's almost down to nothing."

Notch stirred at his words, tearing his eyes from where they had been fixed on his form. "You." he snapped, taking a step forward "You're Texolauren." He said it with semi-conviction, his voice trailing off towards then end, as if he was questioning his words. Or maybe he just didn't want his fears to be confirmed, who knows.

"Indeed." he replied, crossing his arms. "And you are?"

_He's baiting him._ I thought, keeping an eye on his levitating from. Notch ignored his words, asking "What did you do to Steve? Why do you look like him, kind of."

Texolauren's eyes narrowed at his words. "Wrong answer." he hissed, an orb of energy popping into existence beside him and flying straight into Notch. "I asked you a question, boy."

_Cm'on, don't fall for it._ I silently urged him, not risking a sending for fear of Texolauren picking up on it. _Just stay down. He obviously already knows who you are, or he wouldn't bother with this._ Of course, Notch was nothing if not stubborn. He immediately tried to rise to his feet, teeth clenched and eyes forced shut from the pain of the glancing blow from Texolauren's attack. The way he was standing had protected him from the majority of the damage, but a scorching burn was still present on his right side, spreading partially onto his wing from the projectile's continued path.

"What did you do?" he repeated, managing to stand despite the pain.

"It is nothing of your concern." Texolauren growled, eyes narrowing. Despite his outward appearance, I could tell that he was not really that upset. He was simply playing along, enjoying the distress pouring off of the other lord. I knew that Notch felt at least partially responsible for what had happened to Steve, after all he had been taken in his realm, and Texolauren was using that to his advantage. Conflicted, I watched the pair of them, unsure as to if I should intervene or not. On one hand, I really didn't want Texolauren after me, something that was sure to happen if I stepped in. On the other hand, I kind of owed Notch for allowing me to just hand around for so long, something that could take some time to pay off.

_I hope that I won't regret this._ I thought, gauging the strength of Texolauren's next attack. Notch had raised a light shield of energy between him and his foe, but at a glance I could tell that it was far from enough. Notch may have been powerful, but compared to Texolauren, with his mastery of magic and ability to wave away the magical defenses of others with little effort, well he was simply on another level of skill.

Judging the angle of Texolauren's attack, I managed to teleport in between the two of them as the projectile left Texolauren's hand, letting out a gasp of pain as the projectile impacted my stomach. Rather than flinching away though, I focused on absorbing the power, preventing it from being redirected into something important, and channeling the extra energy into my shifting power. Already, I could feel the faint prickles that meant I was healing, green power licking along my wound as it began to heal.

"That was foolish, even for you." said Texolauren "You could have stayed out of this, minded your own business, but now. You had to throw yourself back into this."

"I swore to protect him." I hissed, recalling a promise I had made regarding Steve long ago. "You know the one I speak of. Harming this one violates that promise. So, you see there isn't really a choice here."

"That must be so hard for you." Texolauren said sarcastically. "Oh, look at me, I'm a little chaos precious lord, who falls apart at the slightest touch of any responsibility or promises."

"You know it's not like that." I grumbled, looking away.

"Back off." said Notch, trying to push me aside. "I can deal with this."

"But..." I said, my face falling. I had thought that his might get me on his good side, allow me to be less of a burden.

"Fine." I grumbled, stalking off "You deal with this. I'll just go away."

"Yes, go." said Texolauren, and I could hear the smirk in his voice as I turned awaym slowly trudging into the castle. A half an hour or so later, I finally could not take not knowing what was going on any more. I hadn't heard anything from Notch, not even a brief sending or a flash of presence so I knew he was alright, and that worried me.

As I neared the place where I had left them, a chill of worry flicked down my spine. Something simply seemed... off, about the area, flows of power simply seeming to end in places where they should not. Drawing on my power to flick a light shield of invisibility over myself, something that would allow me to pass undetected for at least a cursory scan. Drawing in my aura, I made a quick teleport to where I had left them, concerned at what I might see. However, the worried concern was nowhere near the level of terror and disgust at the sight I saw presented before me. Texolauren stood before Notch, who I desperately hoped was unconscious. He was suspended in a jellylike orb of magic, gently bobbing up and down in the currents in the power. Now that I was within the radius, I could clearly see the blanketing power that Texolauren had flooded the area with, creating a divided bubble of magic that could not flow out into the main Aether. Within it, Texolauren was then able to do whatever he pleased to the unfortunate realmlord who had fallen into his trap.

For one short, spiteful, moment, I contemplated leaving him there, to remain at Texolauren's mercy. After all, he had been the one to push me away, the one to put himself into this situation. I shook away the feeling quickly though, almost unconsciously reaching out in an effort to reclaim my link to Miritayen, something that had always helped to keep me grounded in times like this, It helped to keep me at least a bit out of straight out chaos disaster.

Drawing up my courage, I teleported directly in front of Texolauren, looping an arm around Notch's waist, inwardly cringing at the feel of the jellylike magic, I pulled him towards me, teleporting away as quickly as possible.

"Got to get away now." I hissed as we reappeared, already preparing to move once more.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Any questions for me or the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me, as can any sugestions for holiday stories you might like to see. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	92. Herobrine's Confusion

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. This is finally a bit closer to normal length, it would have been longer but this seemed like the best place to cut it. On with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Herobrine's POV**

_Something's wrong._ The thought came over me suddenly, breaking through my light doze and snapping me to alertness. I had been sheltered away from the others, in a tiny room dotted with glowstone and lava flows, trying to get a bit of comfort from the warmth in the overall chilly climate of the End.

The blocks of glowstone beneath me shifted slightly as I sat up, some of the more delicate edges crumbling into dust. Carefully, I made my way from the room, drawing a fragment of its heat along with me as i felt the chill of the air outside already beginning to fill me. Carefully, I searched the area mentally for any sign of a disturbance, something that would account for this strange feeling, but there was nothing. But still, that same feeling of wrongness, of something out of place, prevailed.

_What is this._ I thought, sitting on a stray block an Enderman had probably left behind, and freeing my senses further, determined to find whatever was causing this. _Maybe it's just me._ I thought, the idea occurring to me suddenly._ I mean, I've never heard of this exact thing happening, but I don't know that it can't. I'm not exactly an expert on picking up signs, and all that stuff did happen to me recently... maybe I'm just now picking up on this since I've gotten a bit better._

Slightly mollified by these thoughts, I stood, walking the corridors until I found myself before a familiar door. I had not even realized I wished to come here, but somehow my feet had acted on some desire my mind had not known of, and now here I stood.

Taking a hesitant step forwards, I knocked on the door. It wasn't exactly early in the morning, but it was the End, and Shadow's sleeping habits were always a bit odd.

"Who's there?" he called, sleepiness present in his words, but at least it didn't seem like I had woken him up.

"It's me." I answered, feeling Shadow draw closer as he neared the door. While not being able to see was worrying and scary, it did allow me to draw on other senses more heavily.

"Come in." he yawned, and I felt a wave of warmer air wash over me. Reaching forward as I moved, I found the edge of the doorway, tracing its edges as I made my way through it, to keep from running into the door frame.

Sweeping my senses slowly across the area, I managed to situate myself so I was at least facing in Shadow's general direction.

_How long will this last?_ I wondered, shivering as another shift of wrongness passed over me. _This whole thing. Shadow seemed to think that it shouldn't last long, but I'm not so sure._

"You okay?" Shadow asked, his concerned words breaking into my troubled thoughts.

"Yeah,... well no, not really."

"Oh?" he asked, sounding confused.

"Well, it's just... I've had this feeling. Of something just being, I don't know, wrong, and I was hoping you would be able to tell me what was causing it. Like maybe it's something I've just not noticed before now."

"Herobrine, are you okay? What are you talking about?" he asked "I don't sense anything out of the ordinary. Are you sure it's not something else? You have been through a lot lately."

"What? No, I have no idea what's going on, that's why I came here! To talk to you! So you could help me!" Something between a tear filled breakdown and angry shouting at how he seemed to be dismissing my concern threatened to make itself known. A light touch on my shoulder made me flinch, though the hand was drawn away upon seeing my reaction.

"Herobrine, I didn't mean it like that." he said softly "If you can sense something, then I believe you. It's just that, whatever you're feeling, I can't."

"But I don't know what it it." I protested, feeling slight tears form. "I don't want to be the only one who can deal with whatever it is. I want you to..." My words broke off as a sudden shift crashed over me, driving the air from my body. Gone was the uncomfortable but barely detectable feeling of wrongness, but in its place a much stronger feeling had emerged, one I did not want to be faced with ever again, and yet which had made itself known once more.

Feeling as if I were almost in a dream from disbelief, I did not feel my feet slip out from beneath me. Strong arms reached out to catch me, pulling me close. Recognizing the soft touch of Shadow's power, I leaned into his warm embrace, searching for some small measure of solace from this new found trouble.

"What happened?" Shadow murmured, his tail looping under my legs so he could pick me up more easily.

"You didn't feel that?" I gasped, still recoiling from the shock of it all and working to pull my senses in closer, regardless of how vulnerable it left me to the area around us. I trusted Shadow to protect me if something happened suddenly, and I would rather avoid another occurrence like that if I could at all help it.

"I got a flash of something." he said, placing me on a soft surface I assumed to be his bed before moving to sit beside me. "But not much. I'm assuming from your reaction though, you got a lot more than I did."

"Yeah." I murmured, still somewhat in shock. "It was... I just didn't expect it. Not something from... him."  
"Him who?" Shadow asked.

"Texolauren." I whispered, drawing my aura in more tightly as I said it. I knew it was unreasonable to think that it would bring him, but I didn't want to chance it. As I said his name, an icy blanket crossed Shadow's aura.

"That's bad." he said flatly. "Any encounters we have with him are hardly going to end well."

"But what can we do?" I murmured, curling in on myself.

"I don't know." he sighed. His next words were lost on me as a sending so strong and desperate it drew me in immediately came to me.

*Herobrine, it's Will. I know we don't know each other very well, but there's trouble, and this was the only thing I could think to do at the time. Your brother's not exactly in a state where he could contact you, and I'm off in the middle of nowhere in his realm trying to get away from a psychotic creep. You know him of course, the one who snatched your other brother. Anyway, I can probably deal with this, well, maybe, like fifty-fifty, but I don't want to accidentally put Notch in an even worse situation than he is in now. So, if you could find some way to get here, as soon as possible, that would be really great. I will try to stay here for as long as I can, but Texolauren was pretty, ah, put off, when I stepped in to ruin his, ah, I guess he calls it fun, but anyways, please hurry.* The sending ended there, the signal fading as soon as it had appeared. As my mind cleared, I became aware of a frantic voice speaking to me. Or about me at least.

"Oh gosh, Herobrine! Wake up, come on! Wake up! Augh! I thought I had some potions around here or something. Come on, wake up! You're not going to die on me!"

"Why so upset?" I murmured, finding my words unexpectedly difficult.

"Oh, good stars, you're okay." Shadow sighed, his footsteps growing louder as he approached the spot where I lay. "I wasn't sure you were going to make it." More quietly, so that I had to strain to here it, he said "I don't think I could have dealt with that. Not after what happened to Steve. I couldn't loose another one of you." His words hid more pain that I had expected. Even now, it was clear that Steve being taken had done a lot of damage.

"I got stuck in a sending." I said "Will, remember him? He said he's in the Aether, trying to deal with Texolauren. Apparently something happened between Texolauren and Notch, and he needs me to go and get Notch, to take him someplace safe."

"That's not great." Shadow admitted "That's probably why you were picking up on all of this so clearly though. Your link with Notch may not be the strongest right now, but it's still there, and if this involves him directly, well that explains a lot. Regarding going after him though, there is no way in the realms that I am letting you go anywhere in this state, especially not to the Aether. You can barely use your powers, so flying is out of the question, and without being able to see, you could just walk off an edge."

"But we can't just leave him there." I protested, my voice laced with desperation. Though Notch had done this to me, put me in this state, I could not bring myself to wish him harm for it. Not now, not anymore. Now, I just wanted him safe. "He's in danger! You didn't hear it. I've never heard Will scared before, but this, something was scaring him."

"Herobrine, I wouldn't leave him." Shadow soothed. "You just aren't the one going. I am."

"Are you sure?" I asked, my feelings suddenly shifting. I had been willing to risk myself for this, but now that another was in danger here, I was less sure. "I mean, surely there is something else." After all, Shadow was not in perfect health either, not after what had happened to his wings.

"I am doing this." he said resolutely "If you need anything, ask Ender or Lani, they can help you out. I'll be back as soon as you can." Surprised, I nodded, standing and somewhat shakily following him from the room. I had not expected this to go so quickly. I didn't want him to go, but at the same time, he was right.

"Be safe." I called after him, a feeling of intense helplessness washing over me as I realized there was nothing I could do here in my current state, no way for me to help Shadow or Notch.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review, they help me to know what you all do and don't like. Any questions for me or the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	93. Shadow's Break

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I'm going to do my best to have some sort of seasonal work up between Christmas and New Years, so keep an eye out for that. Besides that, not much to say so on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel, or the Yogscast.**

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**Shadow's POV**

My mind raced as I quickly walked to the storage area, using the short trip to gather my thoughts rather than just warping there. I had to gather supplies to face Texolauren, the one who had taken Steve from us, and my thoughts towards him were both vengeful and petrified right now.

Taking a deep breath, I stiffened my resolve. I had to do this, there was no backing out of it. I had promised Herobrine, and had a duty to Notch, and I was not prepared to let either of them down.

Pushing open the doors to the storage room, I jumped slightly as their parting revealed a figure standing within.

"Kiri, you scared me." I sighed, some of the tension leaving the air. "What were you doing in there? If you needed something, you could've just asked me. You didn't have to go looking on your own.

"Any why does that distress you?" He asked, one eyebrow raised, slight tendrils of his aura dancing against mine, probing for signs of guilt. "Have you been up to something, hm? Keeping something, ah, less pleasant from my sight? Because if you have..." he let his words trail off, a very clear flash of warning in his eyes.

"What? No! I don't know what you're talking about." I snapped, the words coming out much harsher than I had intended. "I'm in a hurry though, so if you would move, that would be great."

"Why in such a hurry, hm? Is something... troubling you? Perhaps something you have been keeping from me? Something that you are not entirely comfortable with doing because it is morally questionable or worse?

"Kiri, stop!" I cried, my emotions scattered every which way by his words. I could not deal with this, not now. The few remaining supports of my world, seemingly unpenetrable to an outside observer, were wavering, fragmenting under the stress of Will's sudden call for help, now coupled with this sudden, intense mistrust from Kiriveyen. A sharp shudder ran through the floor as I clamped my eyes shut, hands and antennae pressed against my forehead as my chaotic emotions sent a shard of pain crashing through me. A flash of something, alarm maybe, brushed the edges of my aura, but the majority of it was lost on me as waves of pain ran through me, driving me to my knees.

On the outermost edges of my senses, I could hear some commotion, but I was drawn back down into the sea of turmoil that was my magic. All at once though, a narrow channel of calm flowed towards me, opening a narrow gateway in the midst of all the chaos. Desperately, I latched on to it, taking solace in the only place where I could get away from my own troubles.

Slowly, I returned to awareness, the pain receding into the background as I managed to get a shaky hold over myself. My body relaxed partially, and I was able to extract myself from the curled position I had managed to force myself into in my delirium. Blinking quickly to clear my eyes of the flickering spots that swam across them, I managed to take in who stood before me. Lani looked down at me with clear concern on her face, one hand resting gently on my shoulder.

"You alright?" she asked.

"Yeah." I murmured, my head swimming slightly. How long had I actually been out of it? Surely she had not been here before. That much I was sure of. It had been the other one, the one who was partially at fault for this, who had been here.

"Kiriveyen?" I asked, hesitantly, taking her offered hand as I made an effort to rise to my feet.

"Here." a voice hissed, strained from the effort of concentrating on some task. Turning towards the sound, I was presented with a sight I had not expected, given Lani's sudden appearance. My mind had concocted some story of her coming and discovering Kiri confronting me wrongly, and she had taken it upon herself to stop... well, whatever it was he had been doing. Because surely there had to be something else. This kind of thing did not just happen on its own. But the sight that was displayed before me seemed to counteract that idea in every aspect. An almost blinding aura of electric green surrounded Kiriveyen, the usual soft glow of his eyes sending streaks of brilliance scattering throughout the room every time he opened them.

"What? What... happened?" I gasped, leaning heavily on Lani for support as I regained my footing.

"You lost hold of yourself." said Lani softly, her tail twining loosely around mine. "I felt it, I thought I had lost you. You were there one moment, and the next, nothing."

"What's Kiri doing?" I asked, the nickname coming to my lips despite my mistrust. I wanted to believe that I could trust him, but that confrontation... How could things ever be like they once had if he believed me capable of something like that, what he had implied I was capable of.

"Keeping your realm from dissolving." he hissed, turning slightly so I was better able to see him. My heart dropped at his words, the image of his haggered form paired with his words bringing with them dangerous flashes of darkness, trying to pull me back down into the nothingness that had come over me. I had always known that there was a danger in working with the darker arts, but was this as a result of those studies, or a sign of some other, more sinister problem.

"Don't say it like that." said Lani accusatorilly, shooting Kiriveyen a glare. "It was nothing as bad as you imply." Soothingly she said "There was just a bit of shaking. Kiriveyen is mostly doing precautionary stuff, shoring up a few of the more delicate structures just to be safe. It's alright shadow, it's going to be fine."

"Thank you." I murmured, leaning into her embrace. "You know just what I need to hear. You're taking this much more calmly than I ever would be able to. I don't know what I would do without you. I was lost within myself, buy you let me escape from that dark place."

"That's good." Lani sighed, brushing a stray bit of hair to the side. "May I ask though, what happened to cause this? Like I said, one minute everything was fine, next thing I know I'm teleporting myself to the last place I sensed you, because it's just empty. Kiriveyen told me a bit, but I don't really know the whole story. Your side of it. Why were you even here? I thought you had said you were going to catch up on some of the sleep you've lost lately." Her words brought memories of what I had been intending to do to the front of my mind, nearly triggering a repeat of what had happened before as the untamed power within me surged against my inadequate mental defenses.

"Notch. He needs me, I have to help him. Good stars, I have to hurry. Herobrine said..."

"Whoa, slow down." Lani said, holding up a hand and meeting my wild gaze with her steady one. "Now, this sounds important, so rather than having to piece it together myself over a couple of scattered tellings, if you say it slowly I can get this on the first time, and we'll be done faster. Now, what's the matter?"

I took a deep breath, trying to find at least a small measure of calm before giving up and simply settling for slightly less intense terror. "Herobrine got a sending from Will earlier, that Texolauren, the one who took Steve, was after him and Notch. He wanted Herobrine to go and get Notch, but I knew that was a bad idea, given how hurt he is, so I volunteered to go in his place. Then,... all of this happened, so it's very important that I go and get him as soon as possible so that nothing happens to him. I can't have this happen again. It's my responsibility to keep them safe."

"Alright." said Lani "But I cannot let you go alone. That means either I am going with you, or that Kiriveyen here is."

"But I have to do this alone." I insisted. "I can't put more of the people I care about in danger, not after this."

"Shadow, if you go alone, the one you are really putting in danger is yourself." Lani insisted. "This Texolauren will be able to tell that something is off with you. He'll use that to his advantage, either to take you or put you in a state like earlier. I can't loose you any more that you can afford to loose one of your brothers. Alright?"

"Fine." I murmured, looking away. As ashamed as I was to admit it at the moment, I knew she was right. In my current, unstable state, it would be more dangerous for me to go alone than it would be for me to simply not go at all. Texolauren was known for his trickery and manipulation, and from what I had been told, he had only gotten stronger since that day.

"Let me come." Kiri said desperately, turning to face me completely with wide, pleading eyes that leaked green power. "I want to make this up to you. I was scared, worried that you had changed or that you weren't really you. I knew an apology is worth little, so let my actions show that I was wrong to treat you like that, to cause all of this."

"Alright." I said softly, not meeting his gaze. "You can come." Privately, silently so that he would not hear, I sent to Lani._ I bring him so that he can cause no harm to our home. Keep it safe while I am away. I would like to believe that he is trustworthy, but after this, he must show me this. I hope I will be back soon, but if now, watch over the others. They will need __reassurance._

*You will be back Shadow.* she sent comfortingly *That much I know. And though the future may not be the easiest, I do believe that one day we will be happy, together, as a whole family.*

_Thank you._ I sent softly, taking a hesitant step towards Kiriveyen, making my choice not to be afraid.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. They help me to know what you guys want to see more of. Any questions for me or the characters can be left in a review as well, or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	94. Fleeing and Reunion

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Not much to say besides the holiday story should be up before the next chapter, so on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Notch's POV**

I was dragged out of unconsciousness by a sudden surge of power, reality bending around me at odd angles as it struggled to pull me through the boundary of waking and sleeping. It clung tightly to me, not wanting to relinquish me to whatever faced me in reality. At last though, I broke through, squinting into the surprisingly bright light that greeted me.

"What's going on?" I asked, or at least attempted to. The words came out wrong though as I gagged on a sticky greenish fluid that had somehow made its way into my mouth. I spat the vile liquid onto the ground, reaching up to wipe away the residue before realizing my arm was coated in a drying layer of the same fluid.

"Eugh, what is this stuff?" I groaned, trying to rise to my feet and finding that I was stuck to the floor by, big surprise, more of the disgusting substance.

"Well, this is inconvenient." I sighed, struggling to peel myself from the ground. My efforts were ineffective though, leaving my laying there like an insect trapped in a web, waiting for whatever creature had imprisoned me to make a reappearance. Tentatively, I poked gentle tendrils of awareness into the area around me, but I was met with an odd feeling of static emptiness, something I had never felt before from my power. Worried, I grabbed hold of my bonds to the others, feeling only the faintest trickles of power along the links. Far more worried than I had been a few moments before, I fought against the bonds that held me down, intent on doing something, anything that would allow me to get away.

My eyes flew upwards at the slight flicker that crossed the area, the tiny change in power standing out like a beacon when matched with only silence. Silently, I gathered my power, preparing to take out whatever was going to come through the opening with as much power as I could direct its way, given my trapped state. No creature could have left me here, in this state, in what seemed to be a sort of dingy hole in the ground, and done so with good intentions.

A shadow passed across the doorway, and I tensed. As the figure started to come round, I let my magic flow, directing it towards whoever was standing there. A sharp cry of alarm came from the doorway, my attack being instinctively repelled by a flashing wave of green energy. I had enough time to throw up a basic defense before the returned power washed over me, but the result was still painful. It might be my power, but that did not mean that I was immune to its damaged, not when I had set it free with the intent to harm another. Dazed by the new found pain on top of what I had felt before, I was only partially aware of a figure approaching me, kneeling down to check my condition. I felt a hesitant hand touch my wrist, feeling gently for some twitch of movement before retreating, a long sight from my observer.

My vision dimmed as my body attempted to retreat into healing, but it did not seem to be working as usual. There was a huge amount of unexpected resistance from my body, as if it feared that healing now would risk greater harm than simply leaving injuries unattended.

My trance like state was shattered abruptly as something warm was splashed over me, my mind suddenly beginning to clear as it flowed over me. Gasping, I sat up abruptly, coughing violently as some of the liquid, whatever it was, made its way into my throat.

"What was that?" I wheezed, shivering as the stuff started to soak into my cloths, chilling me despite its initial warmth.

"Enchanted water." a voice replied, on my groggy mind finally identified as Will's. "One of the few things that will work to get rid of Texolauren's nastier magic forms. Unfortunately, it only works when the goo has dried, so I had to leave you while I got the stuff for it. It was raining for a while out there, and it would have made things take longer if you had been with me."

" 's okay." I sighed, shaking off some of the remainder of Texolauren's vile power. A faint flicker of a memory was all I had as to how I had ended up like this, Texolauren's advances after I had shooed Will away. Uncomfortably, I looked away, feeling my senses strengthen as the last of Texolauren's power fell away, leaving my body free to begin healing.

"I'm not angry with you, you know." Will said, standing and turning towards the entryway. "From... y'know. I just... wish you trusted me a bit more."

"Yeah." I sighed, slowly making my way to my feet, the chill of the water settling over me more completely. I wrapped my arms around myself as I shivered, leaning on one of the cave walls for support. "I don't feel so good." I murmured, pulling my wings close and feeling my shiver increase as it just seemed to concentrate the cold.

"Not good how?" Will asked distractedly, sorting several piles of reagents into their proper pockets.

"Cold." I hissed, the shiver shaking me to the core. "Really cold."

He glanced up at my words, the concern on his face deepening as he took in my condition.

"Did this just start?" he asked, tucking away the last of what he was carrying and standing, stepping over and laying his hand on my forehead, checking the temperature.

Yeah." I nodded, resisting the urge to lean into the warmth I could feel radiating off of Will. I had already messed things up enough earlier without having to make things more awkward than they already were now.

Will swore at my words, pulling open a pocket and starting to mix more ingredients.

"I must have put too much ice-leaf in it." he explained. A few seconds later, he handed me a small bottle filled with a reddish gold liquid.

"That should improve things for a while at least." he said, watching me hesitantly swallow it. "We can figure out a more permanent solution later, but right now, we have to move."

"Why?" I asked, already feeling the potion's effect as the chill began to fade.

"Texolauren is still after us, and we've already been in one place for far too long." he explained. "I teleported us pretty far away, but magic is his domain, so there is only so much time until he finds us. That's why we have to keep moving."

"Moving where?" I gasped, following after him on shaky legs as he climbed out of the shallow cave.

"Just around for now." he explained "One of your brothers should be coming to get you, so when I get a sense of where they are, that's where we'll be heading towards."

"They're coming?" I asked, taking his offered hand before he streaked off towards the edge of the island, the wobbly feeling of teleportation coming over me as he warped us to the next island, something I appreciated since I doubted I could get off the ground in my weakened state, much less fly any large distance.

"How did you get a hold of them?"

"Sendings to Herobrine." he sent in short bursts, each accompanied with a short hop of teleportation, something I knew he was doing for my sake. I was not in the best of health, and I could tell that my aura would not stand up to many consecutive long range teleports.

"Got it." Will said at last, looping his tail around my waist and picking me up, draping a light shield of power over me as we blinked away. We reappeared a moment later in a totally different location, my head still spinning despite the precautions Will had taken.

"You alright? Can you stand?" he asked, gradually helping me to stand on my own as my balance gradually returned.

"Yeah, I think so." I murmured, letting go of his hand to stand, all be it shakily, on my own.

"Alright." he said "Come on. He should be over here." He led me over a small hill, at the bottom of which a figure stood, looking quite nervous standing there in the middle of a small grove of trees. It was clearly not Herobrine, the wings gave that away instantly, and it took me a moment to identify them. Shadow seemed out of place here, and I had not expected him to even consider coming after how things had ended last time we met.

"Shadow." Will called, and the figure turned to face us, revealing not Shadow, but Lani. Reaching down into a patch of bushes, she seemed to shuffle around for a moment, then a moment later a second figure rose up out of the bushes, this one more easily identified as Shadow.

"Here." he called, looking more haggered than I had expected. He looked as if he had been through a war zone, though his expression brightened upon catching sight of me, something I had not expected.

"Hi Shadow." I said hesitantly, not sure what his reaction would be. To my surprise, Shadow took several hesitant steps forward before wrapping his arms around me, holding me close.

"You're okay." he murmured, and I could feel soft teardrops dotting my shoulder.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, my emotions suddenly deciding to get the best of me.

"I don't care." he sobbed. "Come home, please."

"Alright." I sniffed, closing my eyes and lowering my defenses partially, allowing my aura to connect with Shadow's more closely. "If you'll have me, after what I've done."

"Hate to break up the moment love, but isn't there a crazy guy chasing this one?" said Lani "We should probably be going before he shows up and ruins our day."

"Right." said Shadow, taking a step back and wiping his eyes. Turning to Will, he asked "Are you coming with us?"

Will, looking somewhat wistful, said "No, I'm afraid I have to stay behind. Texolauren will be searching for you, and there needs to be someone keeping them off your trail. Anyway, I have things I need to do here. I can't leave Miritayen, not after all of this. If things start to get bad, I'll just go to the other lords or the Valkyrie for help."

"Alright, be safe." said Lani, taking Shadow and my hands and preparing to teleport us back to the End.

"You too." said Will, watching us leave the realm, to return to Shadow's home.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review, they really help me to know what you all like. Now for questions for the characters (and me).**

**From ****Darkknight4ever ****to Me: Will Isra go back to normal? **

**Me: As of right now, I am undecided. My plot tends to have a mind of its own, so it will really depend on how things go between then and now.**

**If you have any questions for me or the characters, feel free to PM them to me or just leave them in a review. Anyway, I hope you all have a great day, and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	95. Return and Worry

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. ****I mistakenly forgot to thank ****Darkknight4ever ****for their review last week, so thank you for that. ****Also, if anyone wants to check it out, I posted a one-shot earlier in the week, **_**Break for Tradition. **_**Now**** on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Herobrine's POV**

_They have him._ I thought, senses tracing the fragile lines that connected me to Notch. They had flickered and faded to almost nothing before Shadow had gone, wispy traces that ended simply in a wall of emptiness rather than against his aura, leaving me with little idea of the state he was actually in. And that scared me more than anything, something that surprised me considering all he had put me through. But he was my brother, my twin. How could I help it it my sought to care from him, to protect him carefully, that he might someday do the same for me.

A handful of moments passed, then another, tension growing with each passing minute. What was I to do when I saw him again, what should I say?

_Focus._ I told myself, perching on the edge of one of Shadow's couches and drawing my legs to my chest, arms wrapped around them. _He'll be fine. You'll be fine. You can get along, make this work._ A sudden tearing sensation ran through me, the strange feeling that occurred when a gateway was opened between two realms that were not quite connected. I felt my powers reaching out to search for the rift, a soft tugging sensation in my gut telling me that Notch was in this realm. My powers surged at the sensation, reaching out in twisting tendrils in an attempt to find Notch, in hopes that he could help me. His aura was a familiar comfort, a sign of a presence I had counted on and needed help from more times than I cared to admit.

Slowly standing, I released the tight hold I had been keeping on my aura as I had struggled to resist the pull towards my brother, giving in to it. It was stronger now, and I no longer had it in myself to resist the urge. Free from my restraints, the tendrils of power shot off, tracing the area at they sought to find the best way to Notch. Moving to the doorway of Shadow's room, I let myself be guided by the soft touch of our linked power, trusting it more than any of my own senses to guide me safely through Shadow's castle. The building was like a maze, pathways leading every which way, some fraught with danger that could only be avoided through memory and care. And now, without sight, I did not trust myself to do so. So it was to my inner powers I turned, carefully making my way ever closer to the bright patch where I could sense Notch's presence, a glowing shape in the midst of so many of the purples, blues and grays of the Enderlord and Endermen auras dotted through the area.

I felt my pace slow as I neared where they were located, the intense pull still present, but satisfied enough by our proximity to stop trying to literally pull us together. As I took a hesitant step into what I presumed was the room they had teleported back to, a distressed wave of emotions from Shadow rolled over me, clouding my mental vision for a moment as I fought to push my temporarily lowered barriers back into place.

"Shadow?" I called hesitantly, arms outstretched before me as I delicately stepped forward, the powerful emotions and strong auras clouding my senses enough that I could not rely upon them. A flicker ran through the distress at the sound of my voice and I continued forward, trying to decipher the odd tumble of emotions and magic that coated the room. At last, as I approached what I presumed to be the center of it all, things began to work themselves out in my mind, a clear picture of who was present and where they roughly were coming to me. Shadow was off to one side, distress and fear and regret pouring off of him. More towards the center, which I approached hesitantly, unsure of what exactly was there, was Lani, her aura looming over Notch's. His aura was quite still, and with a stab of concern I realized how dim it was, its usual vibrant glow more like a dying spark than a brilliant star.

"What happened?" I asked, my voice cracking unexpectedly as my own emotions surged to meet Shadow's, understanding now what his cause for distress was.

"He didn't take the teleport well." Lani replied, her aura shifting as she stood, wings spread wide for balance. "Whatever happened up there, it took more out of him than expected, and he was already in a pretty sorry state when we got there. But it wasn't safe to stay where we were, so what other choice was there? Shadow's not taking it well. He feels that it's his fault, and he's already written it off as near hopeless, at least as far as any help from him goes."

"Yeah." I sighed, snaking a delicate tendril of power across Shadow's aura. He always tended to be like this, continuing on with resolute determination until he just broke, falling apart completely and loosing any confidence in himself. I had felt his breaking earlier, when he was confronted by Kiriveyen, but I had let no trace of my knowledge of this reach him. It would only have made things fall apart faster had he known I was aware of what happened. We were a part of his strength, his need to keep us safe and the knowledge that we relied on him at least in part gave him the strength to watch over his realm and help shield the others. Being faced with proof that he had pretty much failed in protecting Notch so soon after what had happened to me, and after what had happened to Steve, which he still had not recovered from, had devastated him, leaving him in this state, devoid of hope and unable to help others, much less himself.

Turning to Shadow, I heard a soft murmur coming from him. Straining to here, I heard him say "This it my fault. I said he could come, I told myself I would not be afraid. Then what do I go and do? I hesitant. I falter. I choose the familiar over one who questioned me. I hoped it would be safer, that my indecision would not cost me, but I was wrong. Lani would have been better off staying here, not that this is in any way her fault. No, I called her away, fearful of what he might do after the pain and destruction he had already caused through his uncalled for questioning of my actions. But I should not have hesitated, should have gone with my choice of him, to not be fearful. Oh, but how could I? How can you make a choice you've told yourself means no fear when you are drenched in it, so many layers that you don't know how to escape. He might have been able to open the rift more easily though, to make it more stable so it would not have had such a poor effect on us, on Notch." He continued on like this, soft moans and mutters putting down himself and his decision over and over as his mind struggled and failed to find some pillar of support to latch on to in the storm of mental turmoil.

"Lani." I said softly, gesturing in Shadow's direction. "I think he needs your help more that Notch does right now. Especially given who I can feel coming right now." Kiriveyen's bright aura trailed through the corridors nearby at a quick rate as he approached, and it would not be long before Shadow sensed him, regardless of his weakened aura and chaotic mental state. Lani's aura flared in surprise at my words, turning her attention to Shadow and moving to assist her distressed love.

"I'll be quick as I can." she promised, laying a hand on my shoulder. "Then I'll run up and see if I can find something that might help him." Silently, I nodded, looking away. Feeling her approach Shadow, I made my way over to Notch, slowly seating myself beside him.

This close to him, I was able to see past the barriers and facades he put up to hide from others, to conceal what was truly happening to him. His aura was so weak compared to what I had come to expect from him, but then again, I supposed mine wasn't much better. It was something I simply had to deal with, a side effect of my capture and imprisonment that I simply carried with me afterward, yet another obstacle to overcome, and I wondered if Notch had had a similar problem. After all, we were linked, we were twins, it was not inconceivable that if somethings so drastic was done to one, that an equal shit would happen to the other, in an attempt to even out the power, to keep the stronger from consuming the weaker by mistake.

"Come on Notch, you have to get better." I said, squeezing my sightless eyes closed in an effort to stem the flow of tears that had begun. "I need you. I miss you. I'm sorry for whatever made you do all those things, but I need you back." At this point, tears were flowing down my face as a steady stream, and I lay my head on Notch's chest, hiding my tears while reassuring myself that if nothing else, he was at least alive. Only a handful of seconds had passed though, when I felt a soft glow of warmth run through me, pulling my aura towards a column of light, and leading me to unconsciousness.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Anyway, I hope you have a good day and a great start to the year and I shall see you all next chapter! Bye! :D**


	96. Accusing and Revealing

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I would like to thank NotReallyAName for reviewing this week. On with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Lani's POV**

"Come on Shadow, snap out of it." I murmured, sitting beside him on the dusty floor and taking his hands. He glanced up slightly at the contact, wide, distant eyes brimming with slowly falling tears showing themselves for a moment before he drew inwards again.

"Come on, love, please." I whispered, reaching out carefully towards his aura. He flinched away from the mental touch, pulling his wings more closely around himself.

_He's not shutting me out that easily._ I thought _I know why he's doing it, but that doesn't make this any easier. If he would just let me help, it would be okay, but he doesn't want anyone else hurt._ Behind me, I felt a ripple of sensation from Herobrine, a kind of giving in, of acceptance of the past. A moment later, his aura drew inward, seeming to fade, as did Notch's weaker presence. This did not go unnoticed by Shadow, who looked up again, his face crossed with an expression of fear and desperation. Shakily, he made an effort to stand, making it about halfway to his feet before his balance failed him, sending him toppling forward. He hit the ground with a soft cry of pain, laying there for a moment before trying to crawl towards them, intent on helping in any way he could come up with.

"Hang on Shadow, we don't want to make things worse." I said softly "Kiriveyen is coming, he can help us sort this out. Alright?" Shadow paused for a moment, thinking, before slowly nodding. He pulled himself into a sitting position carefully, taking a minute to center his ragged emotions.

"How long?" he asked, gaze fixed on his brothers.

"A minute, maybe two." I replied "It won't be long." He nodded again, and a moment later the sound of footsteps rang through the room as Kiriveyen entered. His eyes widened at the sight of Shadow's condition before finally landing on Herobrine and Notch's still forms.

"What happened?" he asked, crossing the room. "Surely this was not from bringing him back from the Aether. Herobrine was here the whole time for starlight's sake, so that makes no sense."

"I don't think it is." I said, trying to release Shadow's hands so I could stand, but finding them clutched tightly in return, I changed my mind. Shifting my grip, I managed to stand, pulling him up alongside me with some difficulty. He wasn't exactly the lightest person, but once he was up, he seemed to be able to mostly support himself, leaning on me more to help with balance than anything else. He let go on one of my hands so he could off to one side of me, clutching my other hand as if it were a lifeline, and I guess that in a way, it was.

"He wasn't like this before." Shadow sniffed, gesturing towards Notch with one of his antennae. "He wasn't great, but his was better than this." Kiriveyen nodded, and I could tell he was relieved that Shadow was talking to him, which he was lucky to have after what he had done.

Biting his lip, he crouched beside the unmoving lords, looking them over. "Has anything happened like this between them recently?" he asked "Anything at all?"

I shrugged "I don't think so. I mean, it's not like they've been around each other much. And when they have, it was hardly under the best of circumstances."

At these words, Kiriveyen turned to me, eyes wide. "What? You're kidding, right?" Turning to Shadow, he said "Please tell me she's kidding."

Shadow glanced at him for a moment before looking away, refusing to meet his gaze.

"No." he sighed, absentmindedly pulling on a handful of feathers. Kiriveyen stood, taking a moment to straighten his cloths, before stalking over to face Shadow.

"Why does this surprise you then?" he snapped, crossing his arms. Bright strands of aura trailed from his eyes, shock, anger, and distress radiating off of him. Shadow shrank away from him, his tail looping itself tightly around mine.

"What do you mean?" I asked, gaze flicking between both of them. Kiriveyen turned to me, his harsh expression slipping slightly.

"No, you wouldn't know I suppose." he said "Unless you were raised by Builders, which I suspect you were not."

I shook my head, confused. I at least had been born as and Enderkind, but whether it was my parents or their parents who had once been Builders, I could not say. It was one of those things that was simply not spoken of. Whatever had happened then was the past, and it was of no concern to me when I was little.

"Well, let me fill you in on what Shadow seems to have neglected to remind anyone of, including himself apparently." He shot a glare towards Shadow as he spoke, at which Shadow shrank back again, struggling to make himself invisible behind me, which didn't really work considering that he was taller than me.

"Did you even ever tell them about it? Because that kind of seems like something that you should have told them. Y'know considering that it involves staying alive?"

"Back off!" I snapped, stepping between the pair of them "Whatever happened, get to the point. It's clearly not helping to shout at him!"

"He deserves it though, for something like this." Kiriveyen murmured, looking away.

"What was that?" I said icily, glaring at him "Because it sure didn't sound like 'to the point."

He opened his mouth to say something in response, before seeming to reconsider, taking a deep breath and gathering his thoughts.

"Alright." he said, opening his eyes, which now showed carefully composed steely green rather than the wild neon of before. "This is all because of something we sort of suspected long ago, something I have, ah, learned more about in the time since. And it was one of those things I sort of thought this one would remember." His sidelong glance at Shadow was not lost on me, but I shoved aside the irritation and dislike I was feeling towards him right now. He knew what was going on clearly, and the sooner those two were healed, the sooner Shadow would snap out of this.

"Anyway." he said, waving off his last comment with a flick of his wrist. "The things is that..." his eyes widened and he turned, whatever he had been about to say forgotten.

"I thought you said he was taken." Kiriveyen said softly, not looking towards us. My mind managed to decode what he was implying when a faint shimmer of aura touched the outer reaches of my senses, quickly drawing closer.

_Here comes a guilt trip for Shadow._ I thought, gritting my teeth. _Would it really be too much to ask that something go right for him today?_ A stormy, worried aura stalked closer, and it was only a few minutes before Shatter emerged from one of the hallways. As he caught sight of him, Kiriveyen looked as if he had seen a ghost, confusion and distress plain on his face.

"You're not Steve." he said softly, eyes swimming. Shatter shook his head.

"No, I'm not." he replied. "But I do care about him, and those he cares for. Which is why I am here."

"He's Shatter." Shadow said, taking a slight step out from behind me. "Turns out, those who feared paired lords having another spirit bonded with theirs, were not entirely wrong."

Kiriveyen nodded slowly, and something occurred to me. Maybe this whole thing, all this suspicion and hatred towards Shadow, was not because of something Shadow had done, but rather as a response to what had happened to Steve. It wasn't that Kiriveyen was upset with Shadow specifically, it was that he was devastated that Steve had not been protected enough to keep him safe. And knowing that the Shadow he had known, had cared for, would never let something happen to Steve, he assumed that something had happened to changed that, something he would not agree with.

"Kiri." I said, hoping that the nickname I had heard Shadow use to him would earn some sort of response. "Shadow tried to help Steve, but there are forces stronger than even he had seen before at play here. Now, if we want to keep things from getting worse, you have to tell us how to help these two. You didn't see Shadow after what happened. I did, and I have no desire to go through that again. So, will you help?" Kiriveyen seemed to freeze for a moment, his aura still on the surface, but almost visibly shifting just beneath. Finally, he spoke.

"This, me waiting, distracting so that they are left alone, is the helping." He shifted uncomfortably at the eyes that were suddenly on him, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Like I said, I found out more about this while I was roaming with my people, cast out from the place we had called home. We, Shadow and myself, had always known that there was something different between twin lords, mostly from observing those two." he gestured towards where they lay, still unmoving. "You have to understand, where low power lords were persecuted and feared, twins were a different story, mostly because of how difficult it was for them to stay alive. Sometimes they would drop for no reason, slipping into an unwaking sleep until... nothing. There were also... stories."

"There always are." I sighed, fighting the urge to roll my eyes.

"What twisted tales have they told of them?" Shatter asked, face expressionless. I knew that he had about as low an opinion of Builder tales as you could get, considering how warped they could be. And really, I couldn't blame him.

"Strange ones." Kiriveyen said "They were more outlandish than most, and we never heard much of them past early childhood, so we assumed they were just fairy stories, something that was simply too fantastical to be true. If only we had known." His eyes went distant for a moment before he continued, giving his head a shake to clear it of whatever stray thoughts were plaguing him. "They spoke of past lords, ones long dead. Then they were often ruled by a twin lord, who could grow more powerful than any other. But they carried with them a secret, or rather, two. Their strength did not come from themselves. It came from another. Many of these powerful lords were trailed after by what the stories described as shadows or wisps, shells of Builders who had nothing left save the links to their twins, who took their power for their own, leeching off of it until the weaker lord faded to nothing. It is from this that we learned one crucial detail, the one which finds its relevance now." Beside me, I felt a ripple of remembrance run through Shadow, dipping his head slightly as he realized what he should have known all along.

"The things was, all these things were linked." Kiriveyen continued. "The twin lords fell because they were away from their partner, lost and without support, when they never had been before. The strong rulers could not leave behind their weaker counterparts until they literally consumed their aura, merging the powers of both within one body. So what's happened here, as you can see, is because they've been away so long. The distance was literally ripping them apart. Now that they are together again, they can rebuild their bonds and themselves. All we have to do is wait."

"So they'll be okay?" Shadow breathed, hope shining from his eyes fro the first time that day.

"Yes, Shadow." Kiriveyen nodded "They are going to be fine."

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Now questions for the characters.**

**From ****NotReallyAName ****to everyone: If you had to cut up someone and eat them, who would you eat? **

**M****e: Well, an interesting question, but there is not really a good answer besides they wouldn't do so. So, yeah, sorry I don't have a better one but that's a path I'd rather not go on unless plot ****actually**** calls for it.**

**If you have any questions for me or the characters, feel free to PM them to me or leave them in a review. I hope you all have a great week and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	97. Recovering and Fleeing

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Not much to say, so on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel, or the Yogscast.**

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**Herobrine's POV**

The first thing I was aware of was the warmth. My powers were usually pretty good at keeping me warm, but lately they simply had not been enough, the chill of the end and the... other problems, that I had needed to deal with lately leaving me feeling iced through almost all the time. Now though, for the first time in what felt like forever, that icy chill was gone, replaced with a warm glow that brought with it feelings of safety and security I had not felt for some time. All I wanted to do was to lie there and bask in the warmth, to be allowed to spoil myself with this luxury for a while longer. Unfortunately, that did not seem like it was going to happen. Reality seemed intent on waking me, and there was not a whole lot I could do to stop it.

Blearily, I opened my eyes a crack, feeling the chill fighting to take hold of me again. There wasn't a whole lot that I could see from where I was, but I could hear whispers from across the room, too faint for me to understand, but just loud enough for me to tell who was speaking. Shadow and Lani were easily identified, Kiriveyen taking a moment longer since he had not been around long, and so was not in my recent memory much. A fourth voice took a moment longer to identify, since I had not been expecting him to be here. Shatter's voice was unmistakable though, especially when it was raised. It was just different enough from Steve's not to cause immediate confusion, mostly because Shatter was a lot more firm in his words, while Steve had always seemed more unsure. Unless he was angry of course. Then you could see the similarities plainly.

Feeling a bit safer now that I was aware I was being watched over by people I trusted, I started to turn my senses inward, delicately tracing the lines of my aura. Something seemed to have changed since I had last checked my aura, something I could not quite place but which seemed to have shifted everything.

Searching though the lines of aura though, everything seemed to be the same, differing only in how strong everything was. Everything seemed a bit stronger, more sturdy than before, something that sent a burst of relief running through me. I had tried to hide it before, but I had not been in a good way lately. No, ever since what happened with Notch...

My thoughts trailed off as the realization that I had no idea what had happened to Notch crashed over me. He had been barely responsive when I made my way to him after Shadow returned from the Aether with him, only the faintest of ripples making their way through his aura at the touch of my power, when there would usually be a flurry of reactions. Where was he now? Was he alright? All I could remember was slipping into unconsciousness beside him, then waking up here, with no memory of the time in between. Frantically, I abandoned my own aura, stretching out my now unoccupied senses to systematically search in an outward spreading spiral, intent on locating any traces of Notch. What he had done didn't matter now. What mattered was that he was safe. There would be time for dealing with things like that later.

My search was a brief one though, the radiating strands of power I had sent spreading outward coming across a dense concentration of Notch's power almost immediately. My flush of embarrassment at missing his presence when he seemed to be practically on top of me was quickly swept aside by an overwhelming feeling of relief. Notch was here, and from the light touches on the edge of his aura, which were all I dared to do without his knowledge, not wanting to have him react with a sudden outlash of power if he woke abruptly.

Opening my eyes again and shifting slightly towards the other side of the bed, I caught sight of him lying there, sleeping peacefully, with one arm outstretched to gently lay across my back. Noting its placement, I reached out, following the lines of my own power to where it overlapped his, feeling the strengthened connection. Whatever had happened, it had restored the strength of our bond, as well as our individual strengths. For the first time since we had gone our separate ways after Steve had been... taken, I finally felt whole, together. As if a bit of me that I had not even been aware of had finally been put back into place.

Sighing softly, I scooted closer to Notch, snuggling against his warm, familiar form. Closing my eyes, I was almost able to make myself believe that things were back the way they have been then I was little, with none of these constant problems, where the biggest decision would have to make was to have soup or a sandwich for lunch, none of these world-shattering choices that held the lives of many in the balance.

"Should we wake them?" Kiriveyen asked, his footsteps drawing closer. Squeezing my eyes closed, I did my best to even out my breathing. Maybe, if they really thought we were both asleep, they would leave us alone. I wasn't ready to loose this again, to face the real world.

"No, let them sleep." Shadow said, his voice much closer that I had expected. It was all I could do to keep myself from jumping in surprise, that's how close he was. He was clearly feeling better, his words more relaxed and sounding less like he'd been awake for a month. He must have finally gotten some rest.

A hand rested softly on my shoulder, and a flicker of guilt ran through me. Shadow could tell when I was faking sleep, he had always been able to. And if he was up after what he had been through, there was no reason I should not be up as well.

I was about to sit up, to admit I was not sleeping, that I had not been for some time, but a whisper of a sending made its way to my aura, transferred by contact rather than through space.

*Of course I know you're awake, Herobrine.* Shadow sent, a soft glow of amusement wrapped around the words. *But you need to stay. Much as I'd enjoy forcing you to get up, we have someone else we must consider who it will affect.*

Even without it being said, I knew he was talking about Notch.

*Right.* Shadow confirmed, my sleepy thoughts spilling over in a form he was able to see. *Much as it might surprise you, he was actually in a worse state than you after his encounter with Texolauren. Will gave him a bit too much of some ice thing too, and it's still working its way out of his system, so he needs to be warm. Which means you get a free pass today.*

_Alright._ I sent, gathering the delight I felt carefully and holding it close. Shadow's flicker of amusement before he let go of my shoulder, moving away from where Notch and I lay, told me that it had not gone unnoticed.

_But it doesn't matter._ I thought, pulling a loop of warm power around both of us. _All that matters is that we're safe, and not alone._ Listening to the soft sound of Notch's breathing, I let myself drift off, cherishing this brief respite from the normal routine.

**Israphel's POV**

*May be some little, would-be heroes coming your way.* Star sent lightly, her amusement evident, but whether it was from something she had seen or simply the whole situation, I was unsure.

"Of course, that's my luck." I hissed, shoving my prisoner further back into one of the small rooms in my castle fortress before drawing my bow and running to the ramparts. Reaching out in the general area they had to be coming from, because really the crypt entrance was the only major one they would have had a chance of finding, I urged the mobs forward into that area, intent on buying a bit more time. Mentally, I cursed Void for forbidding me from using any major magics on the would-be heroes, but he wanted to see what they could do, to see if they might be worth the time to sway them to our side. That and using bunches of Chaos magic in a fairly balanced realm would draw quite a lot of suspicion.

Peeking back over the ramparts, I saw them descending the stairs, swords drawn. Xephos and Honeydew stopped at the sight of all the mobs stirring below, seeming to assess the situation, or at least hesitate at the sight of all the hostiles. Even from as far away as I was, I could see the bright, bluish glow spilling from Xephos's eyes, something that made him quite an easy target. I unleashed a dozen and a half or so shots at them as they descended the stairs before changing tactics. The older one, Peculiar, was driven to get back Daisy, her screams for help spurring him onwards, and a few arrow shots were hardly going to stop him before he caused some serious damage.

Turning to Zombies and Creeper Boss, I said "Guard the castle. I've got to get the prisoner away from here." They nodded, bowing. They knew that if anything went really wrong, I could just regenerate them, and that any distraction they provided gave me valuable time to escape. Zombie Boss rushed towards the door, intent on keeping them out, while Creeper Boss clicked a flint and steel along one of the side staircases, forcing them to use one way up to get to him. I observed their preparations for a moment longer before grabbing Daisy, taking a moment to gag her with a bit of cloth to quiet her cries for help. After all, the goal of this was to get away, not draw them after us.

Stowing my bow and grabbing a pickaxe, I pulled Daisy along with one arm as I mined the escape tunnel I had begun further. Hopefully, if what I had noticed from them was correct, they would explore around for a bit, looking for clues and treasure before actually doing anything decisive. That and Creeper Boss's TNT attacks might be enough to get me far enough away to remain undetected.

Drawing quite heavily on my Chaos power to see through the darkness, I at last broke into my other tunnel, the one I had been searching for. Determined, I raced along it, which was no easy task given my unwilling prisoner. Finally reaching the other end, I smashed away the few extra blocks of stone that concealed the tunnel, revealing the cave where those heroes had built their portal. Grinning, for Void controlled the Nether, and thus who got in and out now, there was no way they could follow.

_Star, give them grief for me._ I send before stepping into the portal, holding Daisy in place as the mist surrounded us and transported us away.

*Will do.* she replied as I made the transit, entering what was to me, a much safer realm.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Any questions for me or the characters that you may have can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great week and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	98. After the Chase, Before the Quest

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Not much to say, so on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel, or the Yogscast.**

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**Star's POV**

_Now, what shall I do here?_ I thought to myself, casting my gaze across the scene before me. The two little heroes stood near the portal, shooting each other uneasy looks as the old man stood in the portal, desperately trying to get it to transport him to the Nether. Israphel had pretty much given me free reign to do whatever I wanted in this realm as of now, something I appreciated after having to do so much of his and Void's dirty work while they were trapped in the Nether.

_Mh, well I'll let them be __uncomfortable__ for a bit longer._ I thought, watching their discomfort with a small measure of glee. After all, they were the ones who had built the portal, and they were still keeping this information from old Peculiar. I let their discomfort continue on for about an hour more, the old man's grief paired with the obvious discomfort of the other two making for quite an interesting sight.

While they were doing so, I remained nearby, invisible but allowing my aura to slip outwards slightly. It had been quite a while since I was able to let my aura flow like this, the danger of discovery by the realmlords too great. For though one or two did not pose much of a threat to our cause, if they were to work together, join the forces of all who still followed them, well they might not be enough to stop us completely, but it would most definitely slow progress, making it harder to continue on with the Overworld's conquest. And it had been so long since a young realm had fallen under chaos' sway, under Void's immense power. The Crafters here though, they were easily swayed, potential members of the various groups of Israphel's cultists scattered here and there from the very beginning. In a hostile world such as this, it was not hard to find those who sought out some greater shift in power, hoping to change the card fate had dealt them or to secure power of their own. Despite all of this, all the strength that had been brought to use through our preparations, it was still best to lay low, to remain just below the surface until the time came to strike, lunging out from beneath the perceived peace to tear everything down, like a child's block tower. It helped that the lords were already stirred up, unsure of their path since Texolauren had taken one of them, a bold move indeed, and more disordered since the rift had been pushed wider between Notch and Herobrine. This made the less world-shaking acts we dared to do less noticeable, and so we were able to stretch our influence further than we would have dared otherwise. The sand continued to spread within the wall's formidable borders, growing to a strength beyond what should have been considered safe, gathering in great dunes against the strong support it provided, waiting for the time when it would be able to break free, to once again be able to cover the world as it once had.

My thoughts were distracted by an uneasy flicker from Xephos. Opening my eyes, I saw that he had come away from the shelter of the cave where the portal stood, its purple glow tinting the stone a strange hue. Rather he was walking along the neighboring ridge, an uneasy expression on his face. Turning my attention to his companions, or at least where they had been last, I saw that they too had moved, but not as far. They had taken shelter in a small outpost I vaguely remembered the heroes building, a chest and crafting table the only adornment to the small room. The two beings had gone inside to rest, Peculiar staring mournfully at the ceiling while Honeydew looked on, struggling to stay awake. A light drizzle started to fall outside, and I drew back from where I had been peering into the tiny room, floating up slightly to lay across the top of the portal. It was close enough to hear anything that might be said, but still far enough away that I would not accidentally be stumbled upon, especially given how high up I was. My form was not quite solid at this point, but it would defiantly be noticed if one of them were to walk straight through me. No matter how blind to magic you were, how oblivious to its ways and patterns, something like that would not go unnoticed, nor would it leave them unscathed.

A handful of moments later, Xephos made his way back to the cave, pausing for a moment just past its edge to look into the portal's swirling purple depths. I looked up distractedly from a notepad I had pulled out, the pages only a shade more solid than my form, just enough to keep them legible. I had been searching through my notes for some idea of what to do next, what might be a fitting trial for the would-be heroes. They had faced some dangers already, to be sure, but I had to have some more fun here. And Israphel had more than encouraged it with his parting words. I had a number of interesting ideas, most from instances I had been forced to show myself in Israphel's image, to maintain the idea that he was still in the Overworld for the century he was locked away. He had been able to haunt the dreams of whomever he pleased during that time, but anything that was in the waking world had fallen to me and a handful of others. I paused on one page, considering its contents carefully, when a hushed whisper from Xephos slipped through my concentration, twisting it enough to break.

"How are you friend?" he asked softly, his words directed at Honeydew.

"As well as you can expect, considering what's happened." the dwarf sighed.

"Hows old Peculiar?" he asked. A soft clink sounded as he lay his diamond sword on top of the crafting table, then the sound of hinges as the chest was pushed open, sorting through a disorganized pile of things to stash most of them within.

"Sleeping finally." Honeydew replied "That chase after Israphel really took a lot out of him, and what happened after wasn't much of a help." His words carried with them a twinge of sadness, a reminder that Peculiar was not the only one who had felt something for the girl who had been taken.

"Well, let him rest, friend." Xephos replied. "Try to get some sleep yourself as well. I'll keep watch for a while, then wake you up."

"Make sure you do." said Honeydew, and I heard him sit up, dumping a pile of items into the chest. "I know you want to make sure everyone is safe, but you need rest too. You've been doing just as much as the rest of us."

"Alright." Xephos agreed softly.

"Oh, and one more thing." said Honeydew, and I heard the shift of items and the sound of something light being thrown. "Dry off Xeph, you'll get sick if you stay like that much longer. See, I can care too."

"Alright, I will." Xephos laughed, and a moment later he appeared in the doorway, diamond blade in one hand and a torch in the other. He sat on one of the low stairs before the portal, staring out into the dim light that made its way through the rainclouds. A light blanket was draped over his shoulders, presumably what Honeydew had given him before he left the shelter to keep watch.

_That's enough of this._ I thought. _ Let's get this over with._ With a snap of my fingers, a spell of sleeping filled the area, deepening the sleep of those within the hut and sending Xephos into a gradually strengthening doze. Stepping into the hut, I focused my attention on Peculiar. He was hardly worth my time, considering how tightly he was already wrapped in Israphel's draining power, and with a click of my fingers I teleported him back to the tiny village they had found him in. No need to drag him into this. Messing with the heroes was my special joy, and I wanted to enjoy it for a while longer without intervention from other groups. This might be the last chance for this, with the unavoidable conflict between our forces and the realmkind drawing closer with each passing day, each slight spread forward that was achieved. Drawing on my power, I lifted the two heroes on a glowing sheet of energy, taking a moment to toss their items into the chest within the shelter. Where I was taking them, there was no need for them. Centering myself, I took a step, and the world bent around me, taking me to the spot I had been thinking of. A small island in the middle of a wide sea, unassuming and alone. A single tree stood there, and with it, beside the sleeping heroes, I left a chest with a few necessary items, as well as a list. If these adventurers were so keen to face challenges and quests, well then this was the place for them. This special place I had created some time ago with the assistance of several Crafters, but had found no use for since. Survival island.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Any questions for me or the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	99. An Evening in Terrorvale

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Sorry this is short, I accidentally overwrote part of it and had to retype it from scratch, and the point I got to seemed like a fair place to leave things off. On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Old Peculiar's POV**

_Where could they be?_ I wondered, sitting idly at the counter of the bar. I was in Terrorvale once again, in the small tavern I had reluctantly taken ownership of at the insistence of the town's other members. They had insisted that if I was going to stay, I might as well make myself useful rather than moping around all day. Of course, I had not been delighted by this proposition, but I had accepted anyway, because I really had no reasonable reason to refuse and nowhere else to go. That had been long ago though, and most of them had gone, either taken off to other towns or simply disappeared.

Things had changed since what happened in the two years after, before the heroes had arrived. The town had almost been deserted by that point, all save myself, Reverend John, and... Daisy, the others gone by that time.

They had came from seemingly nowhere, the first travelers I had ever seen coming along the southern road. There wasn't much out that way, ice field stretching as far as the eye could see, before the terrain rose sharply, forming the jagged peaks of a mountain range that effectively cut off any contact that might have come from the other side of the continent. This area had few inhabitants, and those creatures which frequented that area rarely made their way to Terrorvale. The few visitors we had welcomed before had come from other sides, mostly by water, and just to gather supplies before continuing onwards. The southern road cut sharply west into the mountains a ways after it left the village, where it wound its way through the few trading posts and small settlements that were scattered throughout the mountain range's widespread peaks. Deep beneath them, in well guarded mines and tunnels that spread to magnificent halls, clans of Dwarves living in luxury in their secluded caves. The surface inhabitants were really only there to trade with the Dwarves, hoping to gain access to their vast riches of minerals and gems.

The presence of these Dwarven nations in quite a close proximity was enough to explain the identity of one of the heroes, for Honeydew was quite obviously a dwarf. Xephos though, was an interesting case. It was not long after first encountering him that I had started to notice some strange things about him. It was mostly little things, like the seemingly random patches of light that sprang up when he was startled, flashing out of existence fast enough that they could have just bee a trick of the light. Or the thin, wispy trails of glowing blue concentrated around his eyes when he was angry or upset. Or when he seemed to know things he shouldn't, like where people were or what their names were. It wasn't always obvious, but there was defiantly something different about him. I didn't know if he was some inexperienced magic user or some fantastical creature in disguise, or something else, but it didn't really matter I supposed.

Shaking my head, I turned back to wiping the bar. It had been weeks now, months maybe, since I had seen them last, time not seeming to flow as it should for me. what really struck me as strange though was the fact that I could not remember what had led to our separation, for me coming back here and leaving them wherever we had parted ways. it was as if the memory of that time had simply been blotted out of my memory, a blank void of recollection after we had reached the Hellgate Israphel had disappeared into.

_O__ne more day_ I told myself, stashing my cleaning rag beneath the bar and checking the torches one final time to ensure they wouldn't accidentally set the building ablaze. _O__ne more night, then __I__ go to investigate. __T__o figure out what happened. __F__or all __I__ know, __Israphel__ might have them too._

I made my way to bed, but I could not sleep, my last thought stuck in my mind. Could he really have them? Was that why I could not remember? Had he done something to me as he had once to so many others? Snatching something precious away and as an afterthought grabbing the most capable of his pursuers? Because despite the reassurances from the two heroes that it was no trouble, that I was not a hindrance, I could tell this was not true. I had seen their combat when it was just the two of them, trekking down into the dangerous caves in search of some lost items for reverend john and it had been much more successful and balanced than when i had joined in, even when Xephos' sword swipes did not quite meet their target, sliding off-sides from lack of practice or experience.

I held no illusion that I was some sort of skilled fighter, masterful at combat. at best I was an adequate guard, a man who had become old before their time through some unknown source and moved to this out of the way town to live out the rest of my life, hopefully free of the demon who had been haunting my dreams and nightmares for years. At last, having managed to distract myself partially from the worried thoughts that had been plaguing my mind, I fell into an uneasy slumber, one that was still filled with memories and flashes of a white-faced demon.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, consider leaving a review, I really enjoy hearing from you all. Any questions for me or the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you all have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter! Bye! :D**


	100. Musings and Worries

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. It's the hundredth chapter, YAY! Nothing really crazy here, but I am going to try to do something special for 102, since it is halfway between chapter 100 and 104, which is the 2 year anniversary of this story. On with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Texolauren's POV**

_ D__o you still live back there?_ I sent idly, letting my body slip down a plane into my home territory, the magic plane, as I phased between the Nether and Overworld. Usually inter-realm transportation requiered either a framed portal, a stable temporary rift or an immense amount of power, but because my realm spanned both, it was simple enough to use it as a throughway. I had been in the Nether to consult with Void on the next course of action, what to do after we had been given a powerful opportunity to take action in the Overworld.

After what had happened in the Aether, when that... snake, Will, had intervened to free one who I had taken, who had been mine by right, the Overworld had been left empty, its last realmkind protector traveling to the End and leaving it unguarded. The End was linked closely enough with Void's realm that he could influence what level of interaction it had with the Overworld. Which even though he couldn't stop it completely, meant he could conceal most of what happened there from those within the End.

A faint ripple of aura shifted, more of a stir of recognition than a response to my earlier words, something that I found somewhat surprising. Either he was purposely ignoring me, something that was quite unlikely given that he was literally melding with me, becoming part of my aura, or he had fallen so far into the depths of my power that he was no longer able to control his actions and words, that ability lost as more of his aura was absorbed.

The thought of this set a flicker of... something running through me. I had thought, maybe even hoped, that this one would last a little longer, though I had never been quite sure why. After all, he should be nothing to me, just a means to an end, like all the countless others who had come before and gone without a trace, leaving behind only slight flickers where their mark on the world remained. Maybe it was because of his resilience, how despite his seemingly pitiful reserves of power he was able to channel great power, and to cling on to existence for much longer than they had in the past.

Whatever the reason though, it was inconsequential. If he was gone now, that was that, and if not, well I doubted it would be long. The shifts had begun to be more frequent, my assumed form changing each day as it gradually got closer to my true form. At this rate, it would be less than a year before the full shift was complete, leaving me with a form that while not my true form in the magic plane, was a mix of my form and Steve's, something that wound allow me to remain anchored to both worlds while still being freed from my imprisonment within my own realm.

_Y__ou can still answer._ I sent, reaching out a delicate tendril of power toward where I ha felt his last sending emanating from. It was not like he would have moved, having learned long ago that such things were useless, a waste of energy that he could no longer afford.

As I reached out, I felt a slight resistance as my probing strand of power met with the presence of another. It seemed to hesitate momentarily, unsure as to what the best course of action was, before shying away, turning inward and shrinking out of the way of my curious touch. I let him do so, my questions answered. It seemed that he was still around after all, something I was unsure as to how to respond to.

Giving my head a shake I opened my eyes. With a shift of my aura I emerged into the Overworld, blinking quickly as I attempted to readjust to the bright light here after the downright gloomy atmosphere of the Nether.

_T__hings will work out._ I told myself soothingly as I slipped along the rocky terrain where I had appeared, seeking out star's bright aura. _W__e'll finish this, end this temporary union with the lords of chaos and move on, myself and my people one pace closer to being free from our prison._

Slightly more confident if not only because I felt a bit more prepared for what was to come, I picked up my pace slightly, setting to to find Star.

**Steve's POV**

Whatever was happening to me, it wasn't great. I kind of had a rough idea of what was happening to me, but nothing specific, those thoughts managing to float out of reach, to where I could not follow. I was weighed down by the heavy weight of Texolauren's aura pressing in around me, making every movement seem as if it was done through a thick gel, exhausting me frequently and leaving me breathless. I flinched as a wiry strand of aura suddenly passed before my vision, hesitating for a second before drawing closer.

I froze as it approached, wild thoughts battling within my mind as it struggled to keep control, to think rationally and take the best course of action. Unfortunatly, that was not the part of me that one out in the end.

With a soft cry of distress, I drew inward, pulling the tattered remnants of my aura together and closing my eyes, praying to any higher power that would spare me a glance that I would be able to get out of this, to be free from my oppressor, to actually be myself, really, truly, entirely myself, once again.

The tendril of power lingered for a moment later before drifting off, and it was only after it had receded, after the wide expanse of his power had smoothed to a level where I knew he was not focused on me, that I allowed my emotions free. Soft ripples ran through my aura as I sobbed, drips of power falling away and trying to float off, to join with his vast sea of power, leaving me defenseless, with nothing. I reached out desperately to catch them, to hold them close and keep them from drifting away. Hugging them close a few at a time, I felt my breathing ease slightly as each flowed back to where it belonged, returned to the place it had been stolen from.

This was what had kept me going lately, kept me from falling into the depths of despair that threatened to engulf me on some occasions. I had discovered it by accident, holding close one of the strange bubbles of power that seemed to have always appeared when tears made their ways to my cheeks. There was simply something about this place, this situation that brought about these strange feelings and it was more than simply terror and desire for freedom. No, there was something very specific that his aura did, for these were no ordinary tears.

By pulling them back to me though, I was able to cling to enough power to remain coherent, to be able to stay strong enough to keep my hope that something might happen to change my situation, something that I had been told numerous times was impossible by Texolauren, but never the less, I refused to give in, to give up.

Closing my eyes, I let myself slip into an uneasy sleep, the last bubbles of power I had managed to pull back tucked tightly in my arms, dissolving back into my aura and providing enough momentary relief for me to drift off, to be able to regain a few precious trickles of energy.

_S__leep._ I told myself softly _I__ must rest. think later, rest now._ Forcing my eyes tightly closed, I imagined a happy time from my past, where my brothers and I were together, free from all the danger that seemed to hunt us now. When had things changed so much, nearly drowning us in the affairs of lords who seemed to hold far more sway than any other we had previously come across. There had been a time when we were traveling when I had thought that the most difficult challenges I would ever face were from the leaders of the Builders should we ever come across them, for they were the demons of my childhood, the ones who's threat had followed me no matter how far we ran. But now, though still dangerous, there were far more immediate things that I had needed to deal with. I had never dreamed in my youth that I would have a conflict with any of my brothers, at least not beyond what passed for normal family conflict. I had never thought I would have my own realm, thought I would almost loose myself to it, to the influence of the Chaos kind, who I had known little of before my intimate encounters with their power.

*Hush little one.* a soft voice sent, one that I did not recognize and yet the words carried with them a familiar feeling, one of safety and comfort that I still held with my from my younger years. *Quite your thoughts, I shall watch over you. Sleep easy, then we shall speak once you are rested.*

As this was said, a feeling of peace and comfort washed over me, forming a slight barrier between me and the cutting bite of Texolauren's power, allowing me to slip into a fairly comfortable sleep for what was the first time in years.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review, I love hearing from you all. Any questions you might have for me or the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you all have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	101. Trekking and Searching

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Not much to say, so on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Peculiar's POV**

_ W__hy.. is everything.. so... far... away..?_ I thought, my internal words matching the same ragged pattern as my breathing. It had seemed a fair plan when I left, but either the distance was not as short as it had once been, or the strange heaviness that ran through me, keeping me worn out, had strengthened.

I had left several days ago, the dawn of the day after I had made my decision to search for them. I simply could not go on waiting, not when each passing day brought with it further dreams and flashes of the pale faced demon.

I had moved to Terrorvale in the first place to escape the memories, no, dreams, that had haunted me, of the same pale face man. For a time, it was always the same. I was there, laying in bed, and he would appear, creeping in through some opening the building had. It shifted a time later, becoming more abstract, but before it was always that. Me laying there, unable to do anything, while he crept around, doing who knows what and whispering unintelligible words through the air. It was.. odd though. It had seemed for a moment almost like it had been something more than a dream, something that I should have known but had somehow slipped my mind.

I was broken away from this train of thought by the road suddenly rising to meet my face. Letting out a grunt of pain, I just about manage to get my hands under me before my face smacked into the ground. Slightly dizzy from the sudden fall, I shoved myself up onto my elbows, gaze still turned downwards as I struggled to get my breath back. It felt like an eternity later when I heard the crunch of the gravel path before me.

Looking up, I saw a concerned face looking down on me.

"Are... are you alright?" he asked.

"Think so" I murmured, letting out a hiss of pain as I tried to rise.

"Let me give you a hand" he said, looping an arm around my shoulders and helping me rise.

"Thank.. you" I wheezed, the out of breath feeling returning immediately at the sudden movements. "I guess I'm not as young as I'm use to" I puffed.

"That's alright" he said, smiling. We walked in companionable silence for a while before the man spoke.

"so what were you doing alone out there?" he asked "its not far from Mistral to be sure, but it seems like you were coming rather than going and we don't get many travelers from this way."

Looking over, I noted the faint concern that seemed to hang around him. He seemed to be considering his words carefully before asking "Don't take this the wrong way, but why are you heading to Mistral. I'm kind of supposed to be helping out the guards, and they get pretty upset if I let people in without, ah, checking to make sure their not a safety risk."

"Its alright, I understand" I said. "Times like these, well you can't be too careful."

"Quite right, thank you for understanding." he agreed. "So you were coming to..?" He let his words trail off, inviting me to fill in the remaining details.

"A couple of my associates have gone missing." I replied "I was coming to ask around, see if any news of them had come through."

His gaze seemed to soften at my response, relaxing noticeably. I took the moment to take in his appearance more closely. He looked to be a Skylord, with the customary set of goggles pushed up on top of a blue-gray flight cap. The same blue color was present on his shirt, shifting slightly to more of a pale charcoal color on his pants.

"In that case" he said "I'll take you into the city. I don't want you to trip or get jumped or something."

"Alright" I nodded. We traveled in silence, but it was an easy silence, so different from the eerie silence that had chased me since they had... gone.

About half an hour had passed when we at last reached the base of the city wall. The man accompanying me waved to the bored looking men in the outpost as we passed, giving a bored gesture to enter. Once we were inside the walls, my companion stopped.

"I have to leave you here" he said "I've got a while longer to keep an eye on the boarders, and that kind of thing cant just wait. but I do have an idea of where you might be able to find some information."

"That would be helpful" I admitted, allowing a faint ray of hope to blossom within me. I had really not been sure what I was going to do once getting here, after all, it had been quite some time since I had been in Mistral city, and I was unsure as to how much it would have changed since I lived here.

"Alright. What I suggest is going down the street here, then following the signs to Granny Bacon's tea shop. She usually has some bits of gossip or rumors floating around, and if anyone's likely to have heard something about your friends, it will be her. If you need to find me later, just ask for Lysander." I nodded in response, slightly unsteady from the amount of information being thrown at me all at once, as well as the sudden shifts of environment. I was not used to so much happening at once, not after spending so much time in the tiny, easygoing, town of Terrorvale.

Silently, I watched Lysander go, only after he had disappeared into the crowd did I follow his directions to the small shop he had indicated. It was so strange to be here now, after so much time away. And yet, the memories I had of this place were dulled, mere ripples being stirred awake when I had expected drastic, life shaking shifts. maybe it was simply from time, but some slight inkling of ideas told me that there was something more here than just that.

Shoving those considerations aside, I walked into the shop. The strange combination of the smalls of cake and bacon washed over me, making me pause. The few patrons seated throughout the place glance up as I entered, quickly looking away when I saw that I was not a guard or some dignitary. On edge, I made my way to the counter. several cakes sat on display under smooth glass domes.

"Anything you want love?" a voice asked from a little way beside me. I jumped back a pace, slightly startled by the voice addressing me. Turning, I saw a fairly short woman standing at the far end of the counter, shelving a few small packages of various products.

"Not to buy, no" I said hesitantly.

"Oh, then what are you here for" she asked, flashing a knowing smile.

"No, no, nothing like that" I insisted, a light flush springing to my cheeks. I had thought that maybe, finally I had gotten passed things like this, but apparently you never really grew out of awkward moments.

"Then what's your angle sweetie?" she asked, propping her elbows on the counter and looking me over. "At least make an introduction before you drag me into whatever you're already stuck in."

"Uh, oh, alright." I stammered, flustered. You never really realized just how bad your social skills were getting until the undeniable evidence was thrown right in your face. "So, er, I'm Peculiar, most call me Old Peculiar, so if you want to call me that, it's fine."

A flash of recognition crossed her face and she seemed to freeze for a moment.

"Something wrong?" I asked, unsure as to if I had said something wrong.

"What?" she asked, snapping back to attention "Oh, nothing. no, you just remind me a bit of someone I used to watch over a long time ago. that doesn't matter though. you said you were here for a reason."

"Yes, right" I said, struggling realign my thoughts "someone called Lysander, one of the Skylords I think, said that you might know something about where my friends have disappeared to."

"Ah, Lysander, a good lad he is" she said, sliding down the counter to help another customer for a moment before returning. "So what friends are you looking for. anything out of the ordinary?"

"Pair of people. One dwarf, one, eh, human? Maybe. But he at least looks human so lets go with that."

"Mhm, anything else?" she asked, not looking up from where she was scribbling down a flurry of notes. "How long they've been gone, anything special to look out there, things like that?"

"Couple months" I said, thinking back. That was about as close as I could get with all the days seeming to blend together as they had back in Terrorvale.

"Alright dearie, I'll take this information and ask around. You might want to find somewhere to stay for a couple days. While news does travel fast, it does not travel quite fast enough to get you out of here before nightfall. Especially considering that its already afternoon."

"Alright." I nodded. digging around in one of my pockets, I managed to pull out a pair of iron ingots. Catching my eye, she waved her hand.

"No, that's not necessary." she said "Maybe if we find out some things and actually get somewhere we can talk payment, but unless that happens, not much to bother with."

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review, they really help me to know what you all would like to see more of. Any questions you have for me or the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	102. Hunting for Heroes

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. So here is the long chapter I promised, in honor of both my 100th chapter of this excessively long story, and its two year anniversary, which is coming up in about two weeks. I'll try to have some extra for the anniversary as well, but I can't make any promises. So I hope you enjoy, and I thank all of you who have stayed with me for this long.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel, or the Yogscast.**

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**Peculiar's POV**

_An airship, where am I going to find an airship of all things?_ _Of course those two __had__ to go and get __themselves__ stranded on the least __ship worthy__ portion of the sea around here._

Slowing my pace, I soon came to a complete stop, resting my hand against the side of one of the buildings as I struggled to get my breath back. This sudden trip I had decided to take to search for the heroes was taking its tole on my health. The sudden change from a relatively slow life to constant movement and changes, it was something I had not really considered and that came with consequences.

As I caught my breath, my gaze slipped upwards, catching sight of the network of gangways suspended in the sky on a series of tall towers and support struts. It was laid out almost like a shipyard, with walkways branching out from the main platform. At the end of some of these smaller walkways were tethered small airships, with the larger ones being secured alongside either larger walkways, or several smaller ones with gangways connecting the decks to the walkway.

_That's what I need._ I reminded myself. I could not afford to loose track of what I was doing, in case it faded into the background, like so much had in the past.

Straightening from where I had stood against the wall, my breath back at least for the moment, I started to make my way towards what seemed to be the closest of the support towers that held up the sky platforms. Maybe if I could get up there, it would just be a simple matter of talking to one of the Skylords, explaining what had happened, and then going off to rescue those two.

Making my way through the many cross streets that separated me from the tower, I considered all that had happened since I arrived. I had started to give up on hearing any word of what happened to Honeydew and Xephos on the third morning after I arrived, but it was later that day I had gotten a message from her, delivered to the front desk of the small hotel I was staying at. Apparently, some travelers on one of the larger cargo airships had seen smoke and a signal for help from one of the small, assumed uninhabited islands that littered the most dangerous portion of the sea, where no ship dared to sail. That left airships as the only way to reach them, aside from divine intervention, and I wasn't exactly hopeful in that department. But the Skylords closely guarded their transports, only allowing selected traders to use their ships with supervision to move goods from place to place.

My churning thoughts calmed a bit as I neared the base of the tower, focusing on the situation at hand rather than what had already happened, something there was no chance of influencing. From close up, it was clear that while the smaller struts were purely for support, this tower at least was much wider than it would need to be to preform such a task.

Peeking in through the archway beside where I stood, I saw that the inside was hollow, with a wooden staircase running up the inside in a rough spiral. From above, I heard a brief exchange, too far away for me to make out words, but one of the voices slowly got louder as the conversation trailed off, as if they were drawing closer. Curious, I stepped into the tower, making my way over towards the stairs, Maybe if I could find out who had been talking, I would be able to ask for their help, to be able to find a way to where those two had to be. Who else could it be though? Who else had gone missing recently who was as good at getting themselves in trouble as they were?

"What are you doing down there?" a voice snapped from above, and I spun around, trying to catch sight of the owner of the voice. Squinting slightly into the bright rays of sunlight streaming down from above, I caught sight of a man descending the stairs, goggles pushed up on a high forehead. From what I could tell, he didn't seem to have any hair on his head, but he did have a bushy mustache that drooped down to frame his mouth, almost like he was constantly frowning. Although he was actually frowning at the moment, so maybe it was just that.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confusion halting my progress as I hesitated on the first step, unsure about what to do. I had felt so assured of myself for once in a long time, but now, when questioned, all that had slipped away.

"What do you think?" he snapped, rounding the last bend in the staircase and stopping a half dozen blocks from me, a bit further up the stairway. "Everybody knows that the sky-way is for Skylords only, and yet I see you here, trying to get up there. What do you think I'm talking about?" He nearly spat the last bit, his face reddening. If he got too much angrier, his face would match his uniform I noted with a strange detachment. I just couldn't seem to focus properly. The haze of forgetfulness seemed more intense here, as if it was actively trying to keep me from remembering something rather than the usual dull haze that followed me around.

"Jasper? What's going on? I heard yelling." A familiar voice came from behind me, and I turned. Lysander stood in the doorway, looking up towards Jasper in confusion. As I turned, his eyes widened in recognition. "It's you." he said, his surprised words too fain for Jasper to hear.

"This civilian thinks that he can just come up on the sky-way and roam around." spat Jasper, sounding indignant.

"Calm down Jasper, he's not from here." soothed Lysander "He probably just didn't know. I'll show him out, and it will be all fine. Alright?"

"Okay." Jasper sighed, shooting me a last minute glare before turning to go back up the stairs. Lysander watched him go for a moment before gesturing me outside.

"Sorry about that." he sighed, leaning against the outside of the tower "He's... well, I guess he is usually like that, but it's something you get used to after a while. He had his intentions in the right places."

"I guess." I stammered, not sure how else to respond. Faint trickles of memory were returning to me, and I mentally cursed myself for trying to get up there. It was something that I remembered vaguely now, from some trip or something here. That was it, right? How else would I have known.

"Come on, let's go to lunch and you can tell me why you were trying to get up there." Lysander said, starting towards one of the side streets and looking back over his shoulder. Somewhat rigidly I followed after him, not sure what to do. Why was he being so helpful? It wasn't like he owed me anything. Quite the opposite in fact.

We reached a small inn, and we went inside, Lysander going to speak to whoever was attending while I stood awkwardly by the door, unsure as to what to do. A few minutes later, Lysander returned, gesturing towards one of the vacant tables in the corner.

Somewhat unsure of myself, I sat down, and Lysander positioned himself in the seat across from me.

"So, like I was saying." he said, looking up sharply at the sound of footsteps beside him and noticeably relaxing when it was only a server with two plates of food. He deposited them on the table, then turned and left, leaving us alone at the table.

"So." said Lysander, picking idly through the food on his plate. "Why were you trying to get to the upper sky-ways? There is not a huge amount of stuff up there, and civilians are not allowed up there for safety reasons."

"My friends, the ones I am looking for, there have been some rumors that traces of a group of people who might be them have been seen on a deserted island in the most dangerous region of the ocean. I was hoping that if I was able to get up there, I could maybe find someone who would be willing to take me out there, on the chance that it could be them."

Lysander was silent for a moment, picking at his food, before he asked "And there is no other way to reach them?"

"Unfortunately no." I sighed "Normal ships cannot travel there, and unless I want to hold out for a miracle from the Aether, there's really nothing else to consider.

"In that case, I will take you." said Lysander slowly, seeming to consider his words carefully even as he spoke.

"But why?" I asked, somewhat bewildered by his response. All this that he had already done, and he was prepared to do more? What was he hoping to gain from all of this? It wasn't like I could afford to pay him for this, I had practically nothing.

"Peculiar, right?" At my hesitant nod, for I was unsure as to what was going on, he said "Thought so. I saw the note Granny Bacon was sending around, and the name was familiar. The reason I am doing this, and you may not remember this, it was some time ago, but is something that is remembered quite well in my family. You see, some time ago, my father worked as a city guard here in Mistral. He was jumped by a group of mobs while on a routine patrol, and he was sure that he was not going to make it. One of the members of his patrol though, was a man by the name of Peculiar. He stepped in to help my father, when the others would not. They were sure he was done for, but Peculiar, you, proved them wrong. That is why I will help you, regardless of what.. disagreements, it may cause with the other Skylords."

"Look, I'm not trying to get anyone into trouble." I said, cutting in defensively.

"And you're not." He replied coolly. "But we're doing this. Finish up so we can get started."

It was an hour or so later when we finally made it back to the tower that led up to the main sky-way. We would have been here sooner, but Lysander had insisted on returning home first to pick up a few things and to water his plants.

"Alright, here's how we're going to do this." said Lysander, looking over his shoulder as we stealthily made our way into the tower and started climbing the stairs. "Jasper should be on break now, so we have a little bit of time, but it's not a huge window, so go quick as you can while still being quiet.

I nodded swiftly, his words breaking in to my uneasy thoughts. I had been trying with all my mental might to recall the event Lysander had spoken of, but to no avail. When I mentioned it to him, he had waved off my concern, simply saying that it was a long time ago, he didn't expect me to. But other things did not seem to add up in my mind either. I had nothing beyond hazy recollections of Mistral City before now, if I had really served as a guard here, why was my memory of it so bad? My memory had never been amazing, but something big like that can't just... slip away, can it?

Resolving to think more on the subject later, I followed after Lysander, doing my best to move both stealthily and quickly and finding the combination nearly impossible.

"Over here." Lysander hissed, motioning me over to where he stood beside a small airship. It was fairly small compared to some of the ships dotted around, but it defiantly looked sturdy enough.

"Come on. The Celaeno will take us where we need to go." said Lysander, jumping to the deck and beginning to do what I assumed was some sort of readiness check.

"Hey, what are you doin' over there? I told you you couldn't be up here earlier, what part of that didn't you understand?" Jasper's irate voice sounded from across the sky-way, making Lysander look up over the edge of the ships hull.

"Alright, time to go." Lysander said uneasily, holding out a hand to help me into the airship. I wobbled for a moment as I stepped on board, unused to the slight swaying of the deck. Grabbing the hand rail, I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to get used to the swaying of the airship so I could maintain my balance. Meanwhile, Lysander had made his way to the helm, hurriedly finishing his preparations and setting the ship into motion away from its mooring. Seeing that things were in order, at least for the moment, Lysander made his way to the back of the ship, cupping his hands together to magnify his voice as he spoke.

"Sorry Jasper. Had to do something. I'll be back soon, I promise!" Jasper faintly called out something in return, but the words were lost on the breeze as we set off.

"Coordinates." said Lysander, returning to the helm and holding out a hand as he focused on steering our course a bit higher. Reaching into a pocket, I managed to dig out the sheet of paper Granny Bacon had left with her note, the coordinates of about where the signs of people had been seen written on it.

Glancing at the sheet, Lysander grimaced. "Sit back." he sighed "This is going to take a while." Heeding his advice, I made my way towards the bow of the ship, looking out across the landscape shifting past below us and wondering what the heroes were doing right now.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review, they really let me know what you all enjoy reading. Any questions for me or the characters can also be left in a review, or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day, and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	103. Say Yes or No to Change

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Not much to say other than remember that next week is the two year anniversary of this story, so yay! On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do now own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Shatter's POV**

_Everyone's pretty much recovered now, maybe I should return to the Overworld._ I considered this as I looked down on where the others were situated in small groups, talking or eating at low tables. I knew that my presence, while it had been sought at first, was now, at least on some level, resented. I was a constant reminder of Steve and what had happened to him, something they would rather forget as they tried to put together the broken pieces of their relationships. Because of this, I had sort of been shoved to the side as things slowly made their way back to a shaky kind of normalancy.

The three of them were still not in the greatest of health, with Herobrine and Notch still carrying lingering wounds from the incidents in the Aether, and Shadow's less easily fixed wounds to his confidence and resolve after he, in his eyes at least, failed once more in his self given duty to protect the others, Kiriveyen seemed to wish to help him, but Shadow was hesitant to let him, worried that Kiriveyen might suspect him as he had done before, or, worse in his eyes, that he might let down yet another person he was close to. Sure, all three of them swore they were fine, but after having dealt with Steve doing pretty much the same thing fairly often, it was able to pick up the subtle differences between when they were actually alright, and when they were simply saying it to present a facade.

"Anything interesting up here?"

Startled, I spun around at the unexpected sound of a voice. Lani stood at the top of the stairs, regarding me with light amusement. She, out of all of them, seemed to be the most comfortable with having me around, or a t least the least put off by my presence. The others seemed to be incapable of separating Steve and myself in their minds, something that irritated me no matter how much I understood it. She understood that, while I was like Steve, and that I too cared for Steve, I was not Steve, and that was alright.

"Not really." I sighed "I just wanted to get away from them for a bit. From their constant questions and their thinly veiled sympathetic glances, and all that stuff they seem to think I need. Just because I am linked with Steve, doesn't mean that I know how he is at every moment."

"Have you told them that?" she asked, coming over to stand next to me. She braced her arms against the railing and looked down at the people below, her tail lazily flicking behind her.

"Well, no." I murmured, glancing away in a manner I hoped wasn't too obvious.

"Try it then." She said, laying a hand on my shoulder and shooting me a small smile. "I'm sure they're just uneasy about it. They don't want to make things worse. It has been quite a long time since they spent significant time with you, and unlike the others, they have only known of you for a relatively short time. So I'd give them another chance."

"I suppose." I said slowly, drawing out the words as I considered what she had said. It couldn't hurt, surely. He, he would have wanted me to do it, on some offhand chance it would bring them a measure of comfort. I sighed softly at the thought of... him. Of Steve. Much as I tried to hide it even from myself, I still was not used to being apart from him.

_Someday._ I thought, letting my gaze droop lower and resting my head in my hands. _Someday soon. I will find him, and we will be together once more. Things will be right again, and things will return to how they once were._

**Will's POV**

"Destiny, come on, just listen to me." I pleaded, hurrying after her as she stormed down one of the hallways of the Aether stronghold. "Things cannot go back to the way they were! Especially exactly that way."

"And why is that, hmm?" she snapped, her pace quickening slightly. Jeb trailed after her in confusion. He had little idea of what was going on here, I suspected, namely because he had only just been woken from the healing state Destiny had kept him in for several months, in her effort to repair his severely damaged aura after what Notch had inadvertently done. Personally, I didn't think it was the best idea she had ever had. Our chosen, they weren't like us. They were easily broken, and once broken, hard to fix. And they, like the world around us, never truly went back to the way they were before. Which reminded me...

"Well, obviously things would be different." I replied, increasing my paces to match hers. Seriously, who designed this place? There were so may seemingly meaningless sections of hallway that seemed to wind endlessly into the distance, with only the occasional side passage to show that they did not do just that. "I mean, things, structures, have been destroyed, and many lives have been lost to Void's alliance. You can't just make that go away, the universe doesn't work like that."

"Tch, your chaos is showing. You seem to delight in deliberately misunderstanding me. The force of this land is an ideas that those who live within it uphold. Drive out the filthy heretics who have been spreading their messages throughout the Overworld, and things will return to the way they were before. It's simple."

"Maybe." I murmured, unconvinced. Destiny seemed, as always, to refuse to acknowledge the fact that changes, especially sudden and drastic ones could not simply be cleared away in a predictable pattern like the seasons.

"Maybe though." I said hesitantly, unsure as to how my words would be taken "Things... shouldn't go back toe the way they were."

"Oh no." Destiny snapped, abruptly turning on me with eyes wide with fury. Jeb jumped aside to get out of the way, crashing against one of the passageway's walls and laying still, save for his heavy breathing a result of our constant movement. "You're not turning this all into some chance to up your power. We agreed that since my chosen has sway here, what I say, goes."

Briefly I considered pointing out that I had never agreed to such a thing, that her mind must be playing tricks on her again, before I dismissed the idea. I was trying to stay on good terms with her. I reminded myself. I had to stay here to protect Miri, and with the threat of Texolauren still lingering in the area, she was the only one I could turn to.

"Just hear me out though." I said, raising my hands up before me defensively but standing my ground. I had at least learned this about Destiny in all my time dealing with her. If you showed any inclination of backing out of a discussion or deal she did not wish to be a part of, she would not stop chasing that point until you backed down.

"I'm listening." she said tersely, crossing her arms across her chest. "You have five minutes. That's it."

_It will have to be enough._ I thought, sending a brief, silent wish to Miri that she could be here instead of me, or even better, with me. He had always been far better at the whole logical argument side of things, a perk of his balance powers, letting him more easily accept both sides of a situation.

"So, you want things back how they were, yeah? Because that way, your power goes up from order being restored and all that, while mine stays about where it is now, since chaos was vanquished and all that, right?" At a confused nod from her, I continued. "Alright. So the problems that come up most when you restore something, as you say, to the way it was other than the whole structure damage, death thing, is that you're in the same position for the same thing to happen again. You get what I'm saying? So, should you go through with this, you'd just be putting yourself in a position for the same thing to happen all over again. So, what I propose Is that you allow things to progress a bit, so that the people of the realms can learn from what has occurred. So that they are able to make preparations should it happen again, and they are able to avoid some of the situations that made it possible in the first place. You know what I mean? So, uh, yeah, that's pretty much it. I just don't want to end up right back where we started when we get to the end of all of this, y'know?"

Destiny seemed to consider my words for a moment before saying "Well, you do raise some fair points." Almost against my will, I felt my spirits rising slightly, held aloft by the faint hope that maybe, finally, something was getting done.

"However." she hissed, her face turning cold once more and dropping my spirits to their low point once more. "You're a lying Chaos user, and everyone knows what they say about trusting snakes." a surge of power flashes through the corridor, writhing bands of her power thrown outwards from her intense emotions. Almost unconsciously, I slipped back into my serpent form to protect myself from the shifts, much more sure of myself in this shape than my other. Most of my attention though, was focused on throwing up a shield of power around Jeb, preventing him from being flattened against the wall by his proximity to the power surges. Seriously, this was like time five or six I knew of where she had almost killed him, she had to take better care of her chosen.

"Destiny, I'm not..." I protested, but I was cut off by another one of her snapped commands.

"Shut it! I've got half a thought in my mind to hand you over to Texolauren myself for trying something like this. Go back to that little dump of a room you call home, and stay there. I shall summon you if your presence is required, snake." With that, she teleported off, leaving me there with a half conscious, very confused Jeb, and no idea of what to do next.

"Well." I managed to get out, holding back the confused tide of my emotions. "I guess I'm going back to my room. You want to come, Jeb?" A barely perceptible nod was enough for me to drag him along, still stunned about what had happened as I made my way back to where Miri's prison stood.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review, I love hearing from you all. Any questions for me or the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day, and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	104. Accepting the Past, Embracing the Future

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. ****I would like to thank ****AmyGrav** **for reviewing this week, thanks a bunch for that friend! :D****So, I recounted the weeks, and I realized that next weekend is the one right before the anniversary, not this one. But here's a special chapter all the same! I'll try for another longer one next week as well, but no promises. Enjoy! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast**

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**Jeb's POV**

Half in a daze, I followed after Will, the recent events of the past... hours now, maybe, I wasn't quite sure, still not really making sense. It hardly helped that I had only been awoken just before the conflict I had been dragged into began, leaving me pretty much clueless as to what was going on.

Strange dreams, almost half memories, had plagued me throughout the entire time I had been out, or at least it had seemed as if that was the case. To be honest, I still didn't know how long I had been away, or what had happened in that time. As that thought struck me, a pang of regret ran through me at the stirred up memory of the events that had come before my healing.

_Will he be able to forgive what I did?_ I wondered, thinking back to how he had left when Destiny had pretty much kicked him out. I hadn't really wanted him to leave at that point, but especially in the condition I was in then, I couldn't just directly defy her words like that. No, that would have hardly gone over well with her, and it would likely have left me in quite a lot of trouble. And it had been after Notch had done some... not that great things to me. But I still had been saved more from Destiny by Notch than the other way around, so I owed him that much at least.

The light seemed to shift strangely around me suddenly, throwing me back into reality with a sudden crash as an all too familiar presence swirled around me. Hastily, I did what I could to conceal the thoughts I knew she would see as treacherous, those that would get me in the most trouble. Even as I did though, I knew that at this rate, there was nothing I could do to hide everything. And what she was able to perceive, well it would be more than enough to throw her into one of the blind rages that never ended well for anything that got in her way. Namely me.

"You okay?" Will asked, turning partially to regard me with a critical eye. Hastily I nodded, gathering my composure enough to speak.

"Yeah, fine." I managed to gasp out, the words sending sharp pains through my body, emanating from my throat.

_How long was I out for?_ I thought in shock, the words concealed behind thick barriers I had put in place around the innermost layers of my awareness. _Seriously. It would take some time to end up in a state like this._

"You sure?" Will asked, a flicker of uncertainty on his face. Biting my lip, I finally came to a decision. I gave my head a slight shake before looking away, not daring to meet his gaze, though I could feel his eyes on me. Carefully, without looking, as to keep her unawares if at all possible, I held out one arm, shoving aside all that covered it and gesturing towards where I knew the mark was, trying as hard as I could not to touch it without quite knowing where it was with my eyes closed. Touching it would surely draw her attention, and right now, that was the last thing I wanted.

I felt a soft ripple of understanding from Will, slight enough that it would not get much further than between the two of us. Reaching out, he grabbed my other hand, pulling me along as he continued along the passageway.

We seemed to move through the castle much faster than I had thought possible, and when we arrived at the room Will had claimed as his own only a few minutes later, a part of me wondered if Will had used his powers to shift us along, bypassing some of the hallways with pure magical force. Of course it was also possible he knew the castle better than me, but who could know.

Entering the room, I felt as though a weight had been had been lifted from me, and at last I dared to open my eyes, my breath coming a bit more easily. It seemed tat here at least, Destiny's sway was not powerful enough to completely overwhelm me as it had in the main Aether.

"Better?" Will asked, his expression closely guarded. Gratefully I nodded. Someday, I would be able to do something on my own, without having to have someone else bail me out from a situation that was supposed to be good for me. But apparently, that day was not today.

"That's good." Will said, going over to a chair and perching on it, legs thrown to either side as he sat backwards on it, regarding me closely. After an uncomfortable minute, he said "She's got you bad, hasn't she?"

Cocking my head to the side slightly, I asked "What do you mean?"

"Well, everything it seems." he replied. "I've seen the effects of the things she's done, y'know. You do know that she is supposed to offer you protection in exchange for your allegiance, right? And from what I've seen, that seems unlikely."

I winces at his implications, unable to meet his gaze.

"It's not like that." I insisted "She just gets... Well, you know how she gets sometimes."

"Yes." sighed Will "Unfortunately, I do know all about that. And I have also seen what has happened to some of her chosen in the past because of it."

Unwillingly, my gaze was drawn back to him, my curiosity at what he was implying outweighing the somewhat morbid thoughts lingering in the back of my mind, wondering if I really wanted to know what he was about to reveal.

"What happened?"

"Well..." he said, looking uneasily back through the door to the hallway. "You can't tell her I've told you this, alright? There are some things that should not be stirred up, because they will drive her to actions far more drastic than what even you have seen."

Uneasily, I nodded, not quite sure what I was getting myself into at this point. Will let out a long breath before beginning.

"Alright. So this was quite some time ago. Around that time, we were slightly more active in the realms. Some of us had three or more chosen at the time in fact, simply to be able to deal with everything. So there could be significant problems if one of us snapped. Void especially had lost a few of his chosen to violent outbursts, something I could tell her regretted, since even he has a deep connection with his chosen. Something had happened though, I don't remember the exact details of what, but it was bad. Anyways, something that happened, well it just made Destiny snap. I have never seen her act this way, before or since." At this point, Will had visibly paled, his tail anxiously making nervous circles on the floor.

"What happened?" I asked again, drawn into his tale almost against my will, with my inner self in turmoil over if I should listen as a kind of precaution, a forewarning of what could happen, or if I would be better off not knowing, for based on Will's reaction, it seemed like this would not be something easily forgotten. Things would be different the next time I saw her, and she would surely be able to figure out why. Of course, there was always the third part of me, the one I could rather ignore and yet which called out for the tale to continue. This side of me was filled with a morbid curiosity, one that bade me to throw all caution to the wind, to know what happened for the sake of knowing and to not let the danger she could bring to me stop me from finding out.

"You're sure you want to know?" Will asked, looking hesitant and apprehensive. A final nod from me brought a soft sigh from Will.

"Alright." he said softly, his voice more reserved than before. "But I can take no responsibility for what may come of your knowing. Her actions are her own, and I do not know what she might do to you for your knowledge." He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before continuing.

"Ah, where was I? Oh yes, something had happened and she had snapped. She was wild, uncontrollable, and though we tried, we were unable to stop her. In her blind fury, she she lashed out not only at us, which we were prepared for and had accepted as inevitable, but at where our chosen had gathered, At least at that time, while we might have had our differences, our chosen were usually able to put aside their differences, even if only to have someone who knew of the kind of things they went through to speak to. The effects were... devastating to put it lightly. Well over half of our chosen fell at her hand, any you must understand that we do not do well with such losses. Chosen are bonded closely with us, and loosing one is like loosing a part of ourselves. So when this happened, it made her even more uncontrollable, for she had slain all but one of her own chosen, and the one that lived clung to life only lightly. In the end if I remember correctly, it took Star, Texolauren and another you have not met to stop her, phasing her into a subsection of the magic plane where she could lash out without harming herself or others, allowing her to tire herself out, to give her time to regain control again. I suppose it was likely her remaining chosen's faint, fading aura touching hers that finally pulled her from it. She was finally able to push aside all that had happened, and take her chosen's welfare into her own hands. I believe that her chosen held on for a dozen or so of your years afterward, though their health was never the best after that day. Destiny did not get over it for years, and she did not take another chosen for at least a century after her final one passed away. Most of us did likewise, hesitant to risk the kind of loss we had felt that day. Still today, we find ourselves hesitant to have so many chosen as we once did. This is what she will not have told you, what she does not speak of, for it is her shame. If you are to stay her chosen, I thought you should know of this."

"Thank you." I murmured, my mind uneasy with what I now knew, but at the same time, almost contradictory, put somewhat at ease. Some of the things she did, how she lashed out at anyone who tried to come too close to her heart, how she would disappear for days or weeks at a time after she had brought some pain or harm to me, now seemed to make a certain kind of sense now that I knew of this.

Struck suddenly by something I had been wanting to know, I asked "How long has it been? Since I... went to heal. How much time has gone by?"

Will seemed to consider this for a moment before saying "A few months. I could not say beyond that. Time often seems to escape me here, when I remain with Miri's... Miritayen's rather, statue prison."

His words made my head swim, so unexpected were they. I had known that I had been out of it for a while, that much I had expected, but months? Months were longer than I had anticipated spending healing.

"Did you not know?" Will asked, looking surprised. "How did you not know? Surely she had to ask you often, to gain your consent to keep you entranced for so long."

At the shake of my head I gave in reply, Will's expression darkened.

"She did not ask you?"

"No." I whispered, feeling as if I I was betraying some great secret by revealing this fact.

Will swore. "She should not have done something like that." He said, his movements quite agitated now. "It is not simply for kindness's sake we ask consent when healing. Consent gives magic permission to work without impediment, and for healing, especially of the kind you needed, failure to have that permission can have quite drastic consequences."

I felt my face pale at his words. I had not known that what Destiny had done was dangerous, though I had most certainly felt a serious level of unease at how things had happened when she had put me in a healing state. Maybe this explained why that had felt so wrong.

"Will..." I swallowed thickly, trying to clear my throat of the block unease had brought to it. "Will I be alright? Has it done something unrepairable to me, her actions?"

"I think you'll be okay." Will replied, considering things for a moment. "You are her chosen, it's likely she used the implied consent there to keep things straight. But it is still unlike her to miss something like that. Perhaps Texolauren's presence in this realm has left her more uneasy than I had assumed it would."

"He's here? In this realm?" I gasped, my mind quickly flicking to how I had almost lost myself in the magic plane prior to my healing. Maybe that was why Destiny had been so distressed, and why she had been in such a hurry to get me healed so that such a thing could not happen again. So that she would be able to protect me from Texolauren.

"Yes, he is." said Will. "But right now, that is not your concern. What is your concern though, is sleeping. Find somewhere to lay down in here, and I will watch over you. After healing for so long, you need some real sleep."

As he said that, I realized he was right. I could feel the need to have actual sleep, true sleep, rather than the trance that had been forced upon me falling over me, and scarcely had I found a place to lay that I was out, drifting off in a blissful, dreamless sleep.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I love writing this for you guys! Any feedback or reviews you have are always greatly appreciated, and any questions for myself or any of the characters can be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day, and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	105. Rescue and Distrust

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. So, the week is finally here, the two year anniversary of this story. And it has been a long road so far, and there's still a fair ways to go before we get to the end. Rest assured though, I do have plans for further works after this. Anyway, enough with this, lets get right on with the chapter! Enjoy! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel, or the Yogscast**

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**Will's POV**

I snapped out of my light doze as I heard something shift nearby, immediately alert to what was happening in my surroundings. I forced myself to relax when I realized that the sound had been caused by Jeb shifting in his sleep.

Reassured that, at least for the moment, everything was under control, I lay my head back down. I was still in my serpent form, the long coils of my body looped around the base of Miritayen's statue prison. Usually, I slept in my builder form, but Jeb had fallen asleep in my usual sleeping space, and with Destiny like she was right now, I felt a bit more prepared sleeping in this form. Lazily, I regarded the sleeping lord, lowering my head to rest on the low, protective wall I had built around Miri's prison.

_Why must the chosen suffer so?_ I wondered, my gaze flicking into the magic plane to see the damage that still remained in his aura. It had begun to heal in the time he had been entranced by Destiny, but much still remained, and some, I could tell even with a simple look, would never fade. An experience like that, it left lasting scars on even the strongest of creatures.

A flicker went through Jeb's aura, a stir of activity as he woke. With a blink, I snapped my sight back to the material plane, stretching slightly. Slowly, he sat up, eye blinking slowly as he woke up. Tiredness still hung around him like a cloak, the trance he had been in no substitute for true sleep, and the rest he had gotten since was only a drop compared to what he would eventually need. Still, he was far more aware than he had been before, when he seemed content to listen to my words in an almost silent stupor. His gaze seemed to slip past me for the moment, lingering on the walls for some time where I could see nothing.

Flicking my vision a layer lower though, I was presented with a view of an arcane symbol drawn across the wall in bright power.

_Odd._ I thought, regarding Jeb's still form once more._ I had not thought that Jeb could see into the magic plane. Perhaps this has had more of a lasting effect on him than we thought._ Stretching slightly, I partially uncurled my stiff form from around the statue, moving towards Jeb slowly, as to avoid startling him. I had a suspicion that after so long healing, so long without true sleep, that his body had been unable to stay within the safety of the dream realm while he slept, or even better, safely turned inwards. Rather it had slipped through some linkage with the magic plane, something that was not uncommon between those two realms, and he had ended up within the magic plane, unable to make his way back to wakefulness.

I had felt his first fall into the magic plane with surprising clarity those many months ago, something that was quite startling, considering that I was not linked to him in any way. But most of the time at least, I could understand where Jeb was coming from with his ideas. If things had gone differently, if Destiny had not been the first to come across him, well maybe things would have been different. Maybe I would have taken another chosen as my own.

Closing my eyes, I let out a long breath, reaching out to where Jeb lay less than a hand breadth away from me, finding the shaky lines of aura that clung but weakly to his body. Following them, I felt myself sinking deep into the magic plane. Normally, I would avoid going this deep, for fear it would provoke Texolauren to hostile action. But this was a special case, and anchored as I was in my one small stronghold in the realms, I was as prepared as I could be to do it.

Slipping ever lower, I finally reached the end of the strings. Jeb's aura fluttered as I wrapped gentle bands of power around it, hesitant at first, for I did not want to prompt some startled reaction from his half conscious mind, but more quickly as delicate strands of power looped themselves around mine, holding tight and seeking to distance themselves from the creatures that prowled the depths of the magic plane. I had no desire to stay here any longer than I had to, and apparently Jeb was in agreement with this.

As soon as I judged that enough bands of magic had been formed around Jeb to keep him from being torn free in the return to the material plane, for it could be quite the jarring transition to come from so deep within this realm to the outer layer of the material plane. I was most concerned about what it might to do have him trapped in the magic plane, so far from his body, for so long if I was unable to get him out of here successfully.

_You will __succeed._ I thought, forcing my way upwards through the magic plane's many layers, feeling the eyes of the realm's many creatures on me as I fled. Even with all of this though, I still knew I was alright. I could handle pretty much any of those of the magic plane that would try to tear this one from me. It would only be if many of them worked as one to tear Jeb away, or if Texolauren should show himself, determined to take another now that he had all but... finished, what he had done to Steve.

Luck finally seemed to have shown itself to me though, and I made my way to the material plane without much trouble, shifting Jeb's aura back to his body. Closing my eyes, I returned to myself, turning my senses outwards in an attempt to find out if either Texolauren or Destiny sought the one I was watching over.

**Jeb's POV**

I was... well, I wasn't really sure where I was. A hollow emptiness filled me, and sucking tendrils grasped at me, pulling the power from me greedily, leaving me vulnerable. I tried to cry out, to thrash away from their toxic power, but I could do nothing. It was worse than any nightmare, as if some creature were feasting in my aura and I had somehow been made vulnerable, unable to even cry out for help as I was made to watch and experience all that was happening.

A powerful glow of warmth washed over me all at once, the creatures that had been swarming over me fleeing off into the darkness. Warm trails of this energy made their way around me and I clung to them, desperate for the feelings of warmth and wholeness that even mere contact with the power brought. The empty state I had found myself in, it stirred up the dark fears that I refused to acknowledge even to myself.

The world swirled around me for the space of a handful of moments, flashing by at hurried speed. And yet, I felt safe within the warmth of the power around me, as if no harm would befall me here. Briefly, I wondered if it could be from Destiny, a thought that I quickly dismissed. She would not carry me like this, not so soon after her outbursts at Will. She would have gone off to sulk, to release her anger in a way that would not harm me, and to conceal how upset her actions had made her. She did not wish to do wrong, but her desire to let things take their foretold paths coupled with her easily snapped patience did not make for a good combination most of the time. No, the one who held me close, draped in their power, had to be another, and yet I could not place who it had to be.

I relaxed completely into the embrace of the power that held me, too exhausted to do anything but lay there as we continued on. A shift snapped me from my lethargy, the emptiness seeming to subside as the moments passed. A heaviness came over me, my form feeling much more... solid, than it had been before.

With what felt like an immense effort, I pried my eyes open. A pair of bright green eyes, glowing with an electric hue, met mine, and it was all I could do to stifle the scream of fright that rose in me. Instinctively, I shoved myself backwards, desperate to get away from the serpentine head that loomed over me.

A flicker of confusion ran through the air around me, tinged with a familiar aura. It persisted for a moment, before easing to acceptance.

*Do not be afraid.* he sent, the sending now identifiable as Will's. *I did not take into account how you would react to seeing me. I forgot that most have not seen me in this form.* Somewhat dumbfounded by this, I nodded slowly. I had known that Will had another form, something that Shadow had mentioned at least once I thought, but I hadn't really thought much of it. Now though, when I was literally placed face to face with this serpent, well it made me a little more wary of him.

*Do you distrust me in this form?* Will asked hesitantly, his gaze dropping. I swallowed nervously at his words, unsure as to how he would react. Before, I had thought I knew where I stood with him, now it was somehow different. At last, I gave a small nod.

Will sighed. *As it always it.* he sent *Gather your thoughts, we shall speak after you have done so.* He drew away as he spoke, retreating into the dip between Miritayen's statue and the all that surrounded it, leaving me to consider all that had occurred.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If so, please consider leaving a review. I would also like to hear whose POV you guys would like to see more of in the future, since sometimes I forget about a character for like 20 chapters (Jeb) and feel bad about it. Any questions you have for me or any of the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter! Bye! :D**


	106. Hope and Warning

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Not much to say, so let's get right on to the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Steve's POV**

I woke up slowly, unwilling to leave the hypnotic embrace of true sleep. I had not felt it in so long, and now on the verge between sleeping and waking, I was reluctant to leave it behind, for fear I would never feel it again. Sleep was fleeting though, and even my slight hesitation in holding it close was enough for it to slip away, throwing be back into the waking world. Unconsciously I braced myself for the transition back into Texolauren's power, determined to loose no more of myself to his magic. Already it was hard enough to keep myself together, and with each piece of my aura that fell away, it became even harder to keep up this effort.

To my surprise though, though the burning of his power was there on the edge of my senses, it was so much more subdued than I had come to expect. Slowly I opened my eyes, looking around with a slight level of unease. Was this some sort of trick Texolauren was playing, trying to draw me out, to get me to relax myself so that he could take everything from me?

There seemed to be nothing different than all the times I had looked around prior though, there was just this unexplainable lack of the sensation I had felt for so long. Still on guard, as I had no idea what was causing this lessening in my misery, I let myself breath a bit more easily for a moment, my aura flowing slightly more freely. It felt good to be free of the bindings for once, even if I still kept them close, ready to pull my aura back to safety at a moment's notice.

With my thoughts a bit less muddled and cluttered from my aura being so tightly bound, the faint memory of the other presence just before I fell asleep came to my mind. Whoever it was, it was them who had brought me a measure of relief from Texolauren's power. And it was likely that they were the ones who still kept Texolauren's presence at bay.

Hesitantly I reached out, holding my breath because I half expected Texolauren to slash out at me for daring to reach out, seeing it as a challenge to his power. I met with no resistance though, the same lesser pain of where I had slept seeming to flow outwards further, at least in the direction I was compelled to go.

As I reached out further, Texolauren's aura faded even further. His encroaching presence was instead replaced by a more delicate one, soothing my tattered aura with soft ripples of power. Unlike when I was completely immersed in Texolauren's power, I felt safe here, secure.

"Who are you?" I whispered, taking a few hesitant steps towards where I could sense this other presence.

*Someone who does not wish to see you hurt like this.* Their sending was as gentle as their aura, comforting the ragged patches of my aura that had been so long tormented by Texolauren's acidic power.

"How do you have the power to do this?" I whispered, all at once finding myself up against a wall, with the soothing presence concentrated on the other side. "All those others I have spoke to about this, though there were not many of them before I ended up like this, they seemed to think that once he... Texolauren, took you, well that was it." I closed my eyes as I said this, pressing myself against the strange wall that stood between me and whoever lay on the other side.

They sighed, a breathy sound that seemed to be half sending, half pure magic. *What I am is hard to explain.* they sent *My power is not so much greater than those I knew you have spoken to, more that it is different*

"Why can I not reach you?" I asked, willing my body to slip past the barrier. In this state, my body was more aura than substance, so I should have no trouble passing through, and yet, somehow, this barrier was impenetrable to me. The fact that he had not actually answered my earlier question reasonably also occurred to me, so I asked again "What can I call you?"

An airy laugh accompanied his sending, catching me slightly off guard.*Your persistence is admirable.* he finally said *I apologize for not telling you earlier, my intent was not to conceal my identity. Rather it slipped my mind. I had heard that your situation was dire, but I had not expected this. I guess that time spent away from Texolauren's influence has desensitized me to the idea, has made me forget the horrors he is capable of. In any case, that doesn't really matter right now. And since you asked, my name is Viicotray.*

"So, Viicotray." I said, the name unfamiliar but still managing to bring me some small measure of relief. Here was another who might be able to help me, who showed genuine concern as to what happened to me. "Why can I not reach you? From what little I know of this plane, I know that in an aura state, I should be able to pass through most any barrier. And yet, when I try to pass through the one between us, I cannot. Why is that?"

Viicotray sighed. * The barrier between us is not an ordinary one, though it may seem unassuming to you.* he said *Rather it is more of a representation.* He hesitated here, prompting my words.

"A representation of what?" I asked. I knew I probably seemed rude or obtrusively insistent, but at this point I was so desperate for interactions and conversations with someone other than Texolauren that I really didn't care.

*Well...* he said hesitantly, seeming to think carefully on what his next words should be. *You understand that Texolauren's power, while great, is not limitless. His aura stretches only a small distance when compared to the space of the realms, but to one trapped within that world, it may seem limitless, until at last an edge is found.*

Realization washed over me as I caught on to what he was implying. Unconsciously I took a step back, drawing away from the surface of the wall as revulsion ran through me. I knew it was irrational, that I had knowingly been trapped within his aura for over a century now, but somehow, seeing a physical reminder, a manifestation of his power, which was what the boundary was it seemed, produced different feelings within me, ones I could not control.

"Why can you speak to me here then?" I asked, starting to feel light headed as I struggled to deal with the turmoil within me. Abruptly, I felt a stronger band of Viicotray's power wrap around me, soothing me for a moment before some other force pushed it away, leaving me with less than I had started with, the pain of my imprisonment gradually seeping back in.

*Aura's can intersect.* he said lightly *This is not something new. I sensed your presence near to his aura's edge, and decided to act. I am sure he knows what I am doing, for such things, while not harmful in themselves, are not the most inconspicuous. But he has not made any effort to stop me, perhaps in fear of retaliation, I do not know for sure. But it gives me a chance to speak to you if nothing else.*

"Can you..." I broke off my sentence, biting my lip. Was I really going to ask for this now, when Texolauren might be listening, waiting for me to reveal some weakness so he could destroy me completely, taking everything from me and leaving me to fade, alone, forgotten. For all I knew, this was all something he had done, a trap to lure me into false security.

A flash of understanding washed over me, followed by uncertainty. *I know what you wish for.* Viicotray said at last, after several minutes of silence *To be free of this place, of the one who torments you. I will tell you that it is likely I could arrange something, to grant you your freedom from this place. However, it would not come without a cost. Such things, they do not come easily.*

Most of what he had said was lost on me as I gasped in shock, my eyes widening as I considered what I had just been told. Could this be it at last, a chance to be free of this living Nether I had been forced to endure for so long now? All the thoughts, all the doubts I had felt before seemed to evaporate as I beheld his revelation, hardly daring to believe it, and yet feeling compelled against my will to believe it all the same.

*I wasn't sure if I should tell you.* he sent hesitantly, his words throwing my emotions in turmoil once more. The strange sadness I always felt in Texolauren's aura seemed to well up within me, tears threatening to spill from my eyes. *It won't be easy you know.* he said *Things will not be as they once were. Something like this, the changes cannot all be undone.*

"I don't care." I sniffed, curling into the soft embrace of his magic, so different to the almost toxic substance I had been trapped within for so long now.

*If you're sure.* he sent hesitantly *I just want to make sure that you understand the consequences of this. You could let go, give in to what has happened, accept what you have been told is inevitable. It would be... far easier than what is to come, as much as it pains me to tell you.*

"I don't care!" I cried, pulling my aura in close and trying to loop several more strands of Viicotray's aura around me, to push away the stinging bite of Texolauren's aura that threatened to pull me away, almost unbearable after the gently relief I had found within my grasp. Viicotray shuddered slightly at the unexpected contact, not having expected me to actually pull back, but he did nothing in retaliation.

"I don't care." I repeated, trying to drive in my point. "Nothing could be worse than this. So please, if you have the power like you say, release me from this prison. I have nothing else I can do."

Viicotray sighed. *Fine. As you wish. I shall do what I can, but keep what I have said in mind. I shall not always bee able to help.* With that, I felt his aura slip away, leaving me once again alone, vulnerable to Texolauren's power, with the hope that something might be different now the only thing keeping me from falling to pieces at that moment.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review, I really enjoy hearing from you all. Any questions for me or the characters can also be left in a review or Pm'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you all have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	107. Search and Rescue

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Not much to say, so on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Old Peculiar's POV**

"We should be getting close now." Lysander called from the upper deck. Looking over my shoulder, I caught a glimpse of him, pinning a map down with one hand as he made some correction to our course.

"Alright." I groaned, turning my gaze back towards the chest I was standing beside, trying my best to look at anything but the shifting waves below us. I had been alright over the more familiar, solid landscape, but as soon as we were over the sea, something had changed. Lysander had assured me that it was perfectly normal, that the sight of waves encroaching on all sides, even far below, often caused feelings of unease and even illness. His words of assurance did little to quell the feeling though, making my journey quite uncomfortable.

A loud thunk behind me made me spin around, eyes wide. Was something happening to the airship? Were we about to be plunged into the dark, swirling depths below us?

"You really need to relax." Lysander said lightly, a poorly concealed look of amusement on his face. Glancing up, I saw that one of the small gates on the upper level had not quite settled back to resting position. The sound I had heard seemed to be nothing more than the sound of Lysander jumping down from the upper level.

"You just startled me." I sighed, absentmindedly poking at the chest.

"Right." said Lysander, giving a knowing look. "Anyway, we should be quite close now. I can keep lookout for the island if you want to rest for a bit. After all, you'll want to be ready to meet your friends when we find them." I nodded in response, not trusting my uneasy feelings to cooperate.

Shakily I made my way to the tiny cabin I had been lent. It was actually a part of Lysander's larger cabin that had been partitioned off to allow for some privacy, since the Celaeno was not a large ship, and much of the extra space that we might have otherwise used was filled with supplies that would need to get two people to the island, and, if things worked out, get four back to Mistral.

Laying on the small cot, I closed my eyes, trying to pretend that I was on solid ground once more, rather than hanging in the sky suspended by a small balloon, with nothing else keeping up aloft.

_Think of something else._ I told myself, trying to push away the uneasy thought of how things might be when we found the others. These were enough to ease my tired mind into sleep. My dreams were not good though, constantly shifting landscapes of fear and doubt, with whispers in my ear constantly, whispers of how I would not rescue them, how they would betray me, and more honors besides. A face, a white Creeper faced man that had haunted my dream, my nightmares for years, flashed through my mind, and I awoke with a start, gasping for air that had left me in my state of terror.

Gathering my breath, I made my way back out to the deck of the airship, hoping that a bit of fresh air would help to sort out my turbulent thoughts and chase away the darkness that seemed to lurk around every corner.

Lysander was looking through a chest as I stepped out of the cabin, grabbing wood and planks for something or other. Night had fallen since I was last on deck, the stars glittering far above. Night on the airship was not as bad as daytime, most of the sight of the waves removed by the darkness. It just looked like a flat expanse in the darkness, something that put me at ease after seeing the sight of waves all day long. Of course, I knew that the waves were still there, but it just seemed to be less jarring when I could not see the proof below me.

"Ah, you're awake. That's good." said Lysander, looking up from what he had been doing. "I was just getting ready to go down to the island, if you'd like to come too."

"I suppose so." I said, his words not really having much weight in my sleep choked mind. The cool night breeze brought some semblance of clarity back to my thoughts, finally allowing me to take in the true meaning of what Lysander had said.

"Wait, island?" I asked, hope fluttering from where it had slowly settled lower as our journey grew longer. Lysander nodded, a small smile crossing his features.

"There's something here, that's for certain. Can't see a huge amount from here, not with it being dark and all, but there are defiantly some lights down there, including one group that I think spells out 'help'" Lysander looked out over the edge of the airship, as if in an effort to judge something. "Or it could say something else. Torches not being the most accurate things for writing after all. Either way, I think it's worth a look."

"Is the island in the right place?" I asked, feeling a flash of hope rise within me even as a wave of fatigue ran through me, making me miss whatever Lysander had said in reply. Why was I so tried lately? I had just been asleep, and yet now I was more tired than I had been before I slept. Chalking it up to the late hour and the stress I had been under lately from the less than comfortable environment I had been staying in, I pushed those thoughts aside, focusing on the prospect that I might be only a little ways away from being able to rescue the heroes.

Stepping to the edge of the airship, I looked to where, sure enough, the faint outline of an island was just visible through the darkness, illuminated by the faint glow of the rising moon. On the ground below was a wide band of torches, with even more scattered across the small island. It did not take a whole lot of imagination to think of who might have put them all there, considering who was supposed to be on the island here, if my information was correct. Examining the island for a moment longer, something occurred to me.

"Uh, Lysander." I said hesitatingly. "How are we going to get down from here? Can the airship go any lower without being stranded?"

"Maybe." said Lysander, shrugging slightly. "But it's not the kind of thing I'm comfortable doing all the way out here. Getting down though, that I can do." He pulled a length of rope from the chest, knotting it around one of the fences on the perimeter of the deck. Giving it a few quick tugs to test its strength he dropped it down over the edge of the ship. Its length hung down into the darkness, a soft sound echoing upwards as the end reached the ground some distance below. A slight flicker of unease ran through me and I took an uneasy step away from the rope, back towards the safety of the cabin.

"I'm not going down that." I said, eyes riveted on it. Lysander laughed, reaching up and making sure his goggles were secured firmly in place. "I didn't expect you to." he said "That's why I brought so many building supplies along with us. I figures that I would need to build some some type of structure to get you and your associates up and down from here, especially considering that they will probably need to bring some sort of gear up with them. Can you watch the ship while I build it? If anything seems off up here, just yell down to me and I will come and see what I can do."

"I suppose." I said, unsure as to if I really was the person who should be doing this. After all, I had no experience on an airship besides what little I had seen while we traveled here.

"Great, thanks." Lysander called as he stepped over the fence, grabbing the rope and swiftly climbing down, leaving my sight as he was obscured by the side of the airship. Taking a step closer to the raillingm I watched his quick decent. As he reached the bottom, he released the rope, leaving it to swing back to a still position. Then he set about shifting the torches from the message asside, since what he was building was, by necessity, largely wood, and as is commonly known, wood and fire hardly mix well.

I watched his progress with interest, intrigued by his style of building, Even for something seemingly as simple as a stairway up to where the airship floated, Lysander put in a huge amount of work, allowing the structure to be pleasing to the eye as well as practical.

As he was putting on the last few finishing touches on the stairway, I heard a strange sound behind me, a kind of sputtering gasp, then the faint rumbling of the ship's power source, one that had been a constant not for the entirety of our journey thus far, faded slightly, settling at last on a tone much lower than before.

"Lysander!" I called, anxiety pricking at me once more. "There are some pretty weird sounds going on up here right now, I think you should come and check it out. Just to make sure everything is alright, okay?"

Lysander reached the top of the stairway a moment later, pausing to drop off the few remaining supplies he carried before turning to me.

"What was it that you heard?" he asked.

"Something with the power, I think." I said "It sounds different now."

A look of understanding crossed Lysander's features. "Ah, yes I didn't tell you about that. It seems that the traders we met with some time ago either were not as good as their word or simply misplaced one of the crates of fuel that we had requested. In any case, it just means that we will need to get some more coal or the like before we leave. No big deal."

Wide eyed, I decided it best not to say anything as I followed him down the stairway. The first traces of dawn were just peeking over the horizon as we reached the bottom, surveying the island before us. As we beheld it, a scuffling noise came from a low house set towards the island's center. A door in the side opened, revealing the two individuals I had been desperate to see.

"Heroes!" I cried, relieved that at last, I had found the ones I had spent such time searching for.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Any questions for me or the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you all have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	108. Plans and Comfort

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Not much to say here, other than I really appreciate you guys all continuing to read! On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Star's POV**

_So._ I thought, watching the island with vague interest. _My little play things have finally been freed from their prison. Ah, no matter. They will soon find that my influence stretches __far further than this little island._

I had been surprised that I had been able to keep them on the island for this long in the first place, but things seemed to have aligned just right to keep them here for this long.

_Does their freedom not __jeopardize__ what we have put such effort into planning?_ asked Void, sending tinged with unease and scorn. _Can you not keep them there? Who would ever know? __After all, they are worth little._

*Do not underestimate them.* I said seriously *They may seem like nothing to us, but they have each already overcome obstacles of their own, ones which would destroy most. To contain them would cause too much suspicion, especially when the realmkind could return any day. No, for now we must watch and wait. Soon enough, the time will come for us to strike, and we must be ready.*

_I shall trust your words._ said Void, a resigned acceptance accompanying his words. _I shall trust that you have our best __interests__ at heart here. __You have domain of the Overworld among us, and so are in the best place to make decisions such as these. I warn you though, if I find that the trust I have given you has been in any way misplaced, there won't be a place you can hide from my wrath._

_ *_I know._* _I sighed in resignation, breaking our connection. Swirls of his power flowed around for a moment longer, confused at the unexpected severance, before being whisked away, back to where Void had his concentration of power. Now free, at least for the moment, from his watchful pessimism, I let my emotions free from the binds I had been keeping tightly around them. Void, while his paranoia was well intended most of the time, could be insufferable.

The pent up resentment and displeasure that I had towards him right now bubbled out of me, making my power surge in reaction. Out of all those he worked with, I had thought that there was something more between us, something different. Usually this seemed to be true, Void showing his affections, though sparingly, when we could get a quite moment. Now though, things seemed to be getting to Void, stress changing him, or at least showing a different, less favorable side of him. Maybe it was working with Texolauren that had caused it, since their views were so radically different, coming from what were pretty much opposite sides of things. Whatever it was caused by though, I was less than thrilled by it. It brought back memories that I would prefer remained forgotten, ones of an... uneasy relationship from before. Memories of her.

Taking a deep breath, I sought to ease my emotions, calming my stirred up aura. With this done, I turned my attention back to the island, watching their progress. As I regarded them, Void's words struck something in me.

_Maybe __a bit of assurance of things might be __in order._ I thought, an idea coming to me._ After all, we don't want them to too far from our sight. One of them, Xephos, he __intrigues__ me. It has been some time since I have seen one of his kind. He could be useful, so I shall keep close watch over him. I should keep them close to the action though. After all, what better way to see if they're a threat __than to throw them into the thick of things._ With that, I took one last look over the small group who had gathered on one of the island's larger beaches, memorizing the feelings radiated by their aura so that I would be able to find them without trouble in the future. With that done, I teleported back to the mainland, where my destination lay. It wouldn't be hard to get them to go after Israphel, not after all that already had happened, but I wanted to provide a shove in the right direction, just to be sure. One that would keep them from settling back down and proceeding with living as they had before. One that would deprive them of the place where both the heroes had met and put back together the pieces of their shattered lives.

**Herobrine's POV**

A strange feeling woke me from my sleep, as they always seemed to do these days. Honestly, you would think that at least some of the time, they would take place at a reasonable hour or when i was not in some sort of danger. But no, these feelings seemed to only come up at the most inconvenient times possible.

Groaning, I opened my eyes slightly, looking around the room while trying to let as little light spill from my eyes as possible. My vision had been improving greatly as of late, healing at last since most of my power had been restored, but it would still be some time before it was where it had once been in terms of strength. Beside me, I heard a soft groan and I held my breath, doing my best not to move a muscle. After a moment though, the breathing beside me evened out, a few smaller shifts moving the sheets but nothing more than that.

Relieved, I let out the breath I had been holding slowly. Even now, several months after what had happened in the Aether, Notch was still very wary of sleep. He refused to sleep alone, fearful of both the nightmares that plagued him and of the possibility of somehow slipping into the magic plane, where he would be at Texolauren's mercy again. Most of the time though, that was not the main issue. I had stated on multiple occasions that I was more than willing to watch over him while he slept, to be there if I was needed. No, it was more that he seemed to have become afraid of sleep itself. As if some trauma had happened to him that he was reminded of whenever he went to go to sleep, to the point where he would avoid sleeping at any cost. He would keep himself awake for days to avoid it, making himself busy with crafting or reading until he literally passed out from exhaustion. This always led to a desperate search to find him, as in Shadow's maze of a castle, and with my powers still not completely back, it could be hard to find him.

Behind closed doors, I knew Shadow was quite worried about all of this, though he would never say it directly to either of us. He was afraid that if Notch was to continue like this, he would eventually pass out somewhere that would caused him to hurt himself, perhaps even fatally. Kiriveyen had tried to help Shadow as best as he could, suggesting potions to help Notch sleep, but those had not worked well either. Notch had been willing to try them at first, desperate to find anything to help with whatever he was experiencing, but while they did seem to help him fall asleep, they did nothing to help with the dreams. Indeed, most of the time they seemed to make the dreams worse. So the potions had been abandoned, and I had been left to find ways to get Notch to sleep. Which usually consisted to me persuading him after several hours to finally rest before dragging him to our room, where I surrounded both of us in a bubble of power and did my best to stay awake until he finally drifted off. Only then could I actually sleep. And even them, I was often awoken by his nightmares, having to console him when he awoke, screaming or crying, terrified of something he was not willing to tell even me about.

Satisfied that whatever this feeling was, it wasn't from Notch for once, I closed my eyes again, trying to identify where it was coming from. Strangely, it didn't seem to be coming from wither an internal or external source, but rather a mix of the two, something that puzzled me. What kind of thing could be causing this? Whatever it was, I knew that staying here in bed was not going to get me much closer to finding out what it was.

Painstakingly slowly, I slipped out of bed, carefully draping my side of the bed in strands of my power. Much as I did not want to leave Notch, I could not ignore this feeling.

He would be alright for a few minutes, I assured myself as I stepped from the room, the chill of the stone brick that made of the floor in this section of the castle leeching the heat from my bare feet. Stealthily I made my way to the small community area for this part of the castle, thinking that maybe something to eat would help to clear my head so I could figure out what was causing this.

It was quite late, but as I approached the small kitchen and sitting area, I notice that one of the lamps near the kitchen was still on. Drawing closer, I saw Kiriveyen sitting on one of the benches, idly stirring a cup of some hot beverage, I couldn't tell what from where I stood. As I approached, he glanced up, giving me a brief nod of greeting.

"There's more on the stove if you want some." he said, seeming to guess my unspoken question. "It seems that I am incapable of making just one cup of anything. It's hot chocolate by the way, in case you were wondering. Nothing crazy."

I nodded in acknowledgment, going over and getting a cup before deciding to sit across from him. For several minutes we sat there, drinking in near silence. Then, Kiriveyen spoke.

"So." he said, pushing his mostly emptied glass to the side. "What's bothering you?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, somewhat shocked by how fast he had been able to pick up on the fact that there was something wrong.

"Well, you're here, aren't you?" he said "It would take a lot to get you away from Notch when he's in the state he is nos, and yet here you are. That means it's something pretty serious."

"I don't really know what it is." I admitted, looking away. The guilt of leaving Notch was starting to grow on me, making me want to return to my room sooner rather than later. "It's just this... feeling, I have. Like I'm missing something, but I just can't place what it is. Something close to me that is also separate. I can't really describe it besides that. I just don't know what to do." Faint traces of tears began to form around my eyes and I hastily wiped them away, annoyed and embarrassed at how fast they had come. I had to be strong, and here I was, practically in tears in the middle of the night for no reason at all! What good was I, if I couldn't even keep myself together for a few hours!

"Herobrine." Kiriveyen said softly, reaching out a hand to lay on top of mine. "You need to calm down. It's alright. You've been under a lot of stress lately, and putting yourself down isn't gong to help anyone. Alright? Take a minute, then I'll tel you what I can about what I believe you're feeling, alright? If that doesn't work, we'll go from there."

Nodding softly, I closed my eyes, taking several deep breaths as I worked to get my emotions under control. When that was done, I looked to Kiriveyen.

"Alright." he said "What you've told me, I believe I know what it means. It had been some time since you have been within your realm, has it not?"

unsure as to where he was going with this, I nodded. Kiriveyen dipped his head. "As I thought. I believe that what you are feeling is a desire to return to your realm, on a magical level as well as a mental one. I have felt it before as well, when I was forced to leave my realm for the safety of my people. I can show you some spells that will help with the constant needy feelings, but besides that I think relaxing a bit more would be good for you. Go to Notch and try to get some rest, I will watch over you for tonight, and we'll see what we can do for the future."

"Alright." I agreed, relieved that this, for once, was not some sign of imminent impending danger. Dumping my dirt cup into the sink, I made my way to my room slowly, the need for sleep rising in me once more.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Any questions for me or the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you all have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	109. A Shifted Point of View

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Let's get right into things, so on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Jeb's POV**

Somewhat warily, I peeked out over the edge of the shallow depression I was resting in. Will's serpentine from had not moved since he had last spoken, sleeping or his attention simply turned elsewhere, I could not say.

Looking at his form now, with my thoughts now somewhat more organized than they had been earlier, I was able to recall that I had indeed seen him in this form before. I seemed not to have recognized that Will was both the man and the serpent I had encountered though, my clouded mind slow to make connections and interpret scenarios. So earlier, when Will and Destiny had been arguing and he had slipped into his serpent form before shifting back a handful of moments later, my mind, out of it as I was, simply failed to see them as the same. It was only when Will threw the idea in my face that my mind finally seemed to acknowledge it, and even then it was not for the better.

_Have there been other times?_ I wondered, poking my head out to take another peek at the statue Will was resting beneath. _Other times when I have seen him in this form? I cannot recall. Perhaps that is part of it, that his power blurs the mind, making it hard to keep __recollections__ of him._ Dismissing the idea almost immediately because of how childish and spiteful it seemed, I noticed where I was sitting.

The shallow divot that I was in, which I had previously assumed was some strange part of the floor, was actually a rough, elliptical nest. The walls were made of furniture pushed every which way, thrown together to form some sort of barricade from the outside world. Within it, where I now found myself seated, was filled with a variety of cushions and blankets, haphazardly thrown about. Shifting slightly, my fingers brushed across one pillow, coming across something sharp.

Glad that I had not found whatever it was by sitting on it, I took hold of the small object, bringing it over into the light so I could see it better. The object appeared to be a slim shard of some hard green material. Looking at it, I felt a faint tug of familiarity, one which I could not seem to place. Twisting it this way and that in the thin beams of light that the small window let in, I watched the play of colors that were reflected off some of the more shiny edges. Twisting it once more, I watched as a brilliant ray of color shot across the area to reflect its bright, electric green hue across the side of the nest I was sat in. Staring at it with wide eyes, I was instantly reminded of where I recognized seeing something like the shard before.

Clutching it tightly, I peeked over the nest's edge with wide eyes, shakily raising the shard so that I could see it as the same time as the many rows of scales that coated Will's serpentine form. The shard I held was a perfect match for the scales I could see from here. Wide eyes, I looked at where I was seated again before looking back to Will. Lowering myself back below the nest wall, I pulled my legs in close, eyes fixed on the scale I held. All at once, I felt a flash of shame, hot shame running through my core and slowing my breath.

_How could I not see this?_ I wondered, stunned by mi inattention. _How could I not have known, have not noticed? I come in here, and am so out out it that I loose myself to Texolauren's realm, then when I am saved, I throw it back in the face of the one who saved me, rejecting him because of __appearance.__ How am I any better than those I pass __judgment__ on if I make such mistakes? He gave me his sleeping space to rest in, making a sacrifice to make me more comfortable, and __how do I respond? I am not worth the respect I have been shown._

A flicker of attention darted past me, and I instinctively stiffened, prepared for the worst. After what had happened before I came to Will's living area, I half expected Destiny to appear from no where at any second, ready to take out her wrath on me in a fit of irrational anger. Contrary to the anger I expected though, my flinch away from the light touch was not met with a fiery outburst of rage, but rather distressed, hurt, concern, which was pretty much the last thing I was expecting to feel.

"Will?" I asked hesitantly, not sure if my inclination of their identity was correct.

*Yes.* he said simply, his sending carefully guarded.

"I..." I began to say, breaking off as the task of putting my complected, muddled thoughts proving far more difficult than I had anticipated. Frustrated that I could not seem to put my words in a form that said what I wanted, needed, to say, I decided to change tactics.

Closing my eyes, I reached out to Will, lacing a sending with the feelings I was attempting to convey and linking it directly to him. He started slightly at the sudden contact, for I had provided no warning as to my intentions, and surely what I had done had caught him somewhat off guard. A moment later though, his shifting aura seemed to have calmed, and upon opening my eyes, I was once again greeted with the sight of bright, serpentine eyes barely a hand span in front of me. I just about managed to keep from jumping backwards at the sight, for though I was comfortable with the fact that this serpentine creature was Will, I still had not been expecting to see, what was in essence a giant snake, not even a block in front of me.

A faint ripple of amusement came from Will at my response, showing that he had not taken offense at my startled reaction.

*I accept your apology* he sent, the faint mirth of his earlier emotion still tinging his aura. I dipped my head in acceptance of his words, not quite sure what to say. As I did, a sudden thought struck me. Why was Will still using sending? Surely here of all places, he should be comfortable enough to speak aloud, in his one true stronghold.

*Jeb, I'm a giant snake.* Will sent with amusement, and I flushed as I realized that I had allowed my wild thoughts to float free where any enterprising lord could catch a glimpse of them. *It's not exactly the easiest to speak in this form, so I stick to sending when I can.*

Still embarrassed from my earlier actions, I stayed silent, looking away for a moment as I tried to think of some topic worth bringing up right now, something to break the uneasy silence that was quick filling the room.

A swishing, shifting sound came from where Will had been standing a moment before, and as I turned quickly to see what the cause of the sudden noise was, I caught the last glimpses of a flickering halo of power as Will settled into his more usual form.

"Better?" he asked. Sheepishly I nodded, still upset with myself for being fearful of Will's serpent form.

"Right." he said, clapping his hands together and turning abruptly, striding over to glance out the window at the position of the sun. "You should probably get to sleep reasonably soon if you can. We still don't know if you're completely recovered, and getting you back on a reasonable sleep schedule should help to avoid any complications that might happen."

I nodded as this words, their implications not really sinking in until I realized what that would involve.

"Are you alright?" Will asked, his obvious concern pulling me from the thought I had been forced into by my pessimistic mind. Taking a deep breath, I tried to force my body to relax, noticing how my hands were clutched around the edge of my shirt, blood welling up where one fingernail had dug into my palm through fabric form the sheer force of it all.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Will asked "It seems like you don't want to leave, and if you need to, I would not be opposed to you staying here."

"No" I gasped, forcing the word out past the terror within me, the feeling clawing at my throat and making it hard to breath. Much as I dearly wanted to accept Will's offer, I knew it would only delay, and possibly worsen, whatever was waiting for me beyond Will's safe haven. "I will have to encounter her eventually. Better it be now when I can explain this away in some way or other. Else she might be... less than pleased with my actions."

Will's eyes narrowed at my implications, but said nothing else on the subject. A moment later, he sighed. "I won't stop you. Just remember to call out if you need assistance, and I shall do what I can to ensure that I am there to help."

Nodding in acknowledgment, I walked towards the doorway, considering what the best course of action would be. As I reached for the door, I felt a sudden lance of pure fear and distress slash through me, driving me to the floor.

"Jeb!" I heard Will call faintly as I slipped into unconsciousness, rendered helpless by whatever had caused the sudden blast of emotions.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If so, consider leaving a review, I love hearing from you all! Any questions for me or the characters you might have, as well as any story requests you have, can be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day, and I shall see you all next chapter! Bye! :D**


	110. Outrage and Concern

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Not much to say here, so let's get right into things!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Will's POV**

I stared in utter shock at where Jeb had fallen in front of me, frozen in a moment of disbelief and uncertainty. What had made this happen? I had sensed nothing besides a flicker of emotions, nothing more tangible than that. And yet, it was clear that whatever Jeb had experienced had been much more than that.

Snapping out of my momentarily stillness, I approached his fallen figure, intent on finding out what had made this happen. I was watching out for him after all, I had said I would, and I did not wish to betray the trust he had given me, as another he trusted often did.

Bending down to lift his prone form, I felt an odd shift nearby, something that I noted passively as something to look into later. That was all the warning I got though, before a wash of furious power flooded the area. I just about had enough time to get clear of Jeb's unconscious form before I was thrown bodily across the room, crashing against the opposite wall so hard I felt a flash of pain race through me as at least three of my ribs cracked from the impact, the breath driven from my body and my spine reeling in pain.

Forcing my eyes open as I slid down the wall to fall in a pile at its base, I caught sight of who had assaulted me. Destiny advanced on me with measured steps, a cold expression on her face.

"What did you do?" she asked, eyes blazing with cold fury.

"Please." I gasped, struggling to get my breath back and finding it far more difficult than I had expected. "Not me. Please... believe... me." My words were wheezed out with difficulty, my chest not responding properly to my body's cries for air.

"A likely story." she hissed, a cold aura of malice condensing around me. "Why else would my chosen be handing around with the likes of you, if not as a result of some tampering of yours?"

Much as I wanted to point out what had happened with Jeb in the past, how most of the times he had been hurt it had been her fault, and that just maybe, he hadn't wanted to be around her when she was so enraged, I kept quiet. I knew she would react violently to any such implications, and I did not want to have to fight her, not here, not in this state. My injuries seemed to be more serious than I had previously thought, and though they were most certainly survivable, it would not do me any good making them worse, something that could happen all too easily if I antagonized her.

"He just wanted to ask a few things." I said finally, scrambling for an answer that would hopefully get us both out of trouble. "Said he didn't want to bother you about it. Nothing major. Mostly basic things about how long he'd been out, what had happened, stuff like that."

At this, Destiny's expression softened ever so slightly, gaze flicking sideways to look over at Jeb.

"Considerate thing. Cares too much for others for his own good." Her gaze stiffened once more as she looked back though, eyes narrowing. "This is not about him though. This is about you. What you did to him."

"I swear." I insisted, leaning heavily on the wall as I struggled to stand, my feet sliding to the side and threatening to dump me back down. I just about managed to stay upright, for the moment at least, trying desperately to suck in the air my body desperately cried out for. A flash of blackness clouded my vision for a moment before I was able to push it away. "I have done nothing. He was leaving, then passed out here."

"That is what you say." Destiny hissed. "But why should I believe you? You have shown yourself to be a liar before." Destiny raised her hands towards me as I opened my mouth to reply, and with every shred of concentration I could manage, I puled myself into the magic plane, teleporting across the room, a safe ways behind where Destiny stood, blasting rage induced energy into the empty space where I had stood before. I was worrying about other things at that point, the short teleport, which should have been no problem, having sent terrible waves of pain running through me, my aura almost seeming to flake away in the brief time I was between planes. Returned to the material plane, I was left gasping, reeling in pain and pulling my aura to me, struggling to get my body back to some semblance of normalcy, to get my healing working. My efforts seemed to be to no avail though. Healing was nonexistent, the familiar rush of soft power failing to cut the edge off my pain. Gritting my teeth, I concentrated on remaining standing, about all I could hope to do right now in this state.

"What did you do to me?" I gasped, staggering sideways as another flash of pain ran through my body. Destiny seemed to give pause at my strange condition, her rage induced assault stopped at least momentarily.

"I didn't do anything." she said, confusion tingeing her words. "Well, aside from throwing you at the wall, which you deserved for trying to influence my chosen."

"I did not!" I insisted, my composure returning to my grasp for at least a moment as I managed to slot a portion of my aura back together, feeling a bit more together. "Either way though, something clearly happened. I should not be having my aura fall apart at the seams, with no healing what so ever, from some injury like what you gave me."

"Alright." she said after a minute, standing down temporarily, allowing me to let down my guard at least a bit. "We shall let this matter rest for the moment. But when my chosen wakes, we shall return to it."

"Alright." I agreed, slowly making my way over to where Jeb lay, raising him from the floor, into my arms, and depositing him safely down in my plush nest. Destiny watched all of this with a neutral expression, seeming not to know quite what to make of it. As I finished, she held out a hand, beckoning me over. Somewhat uneasily, but not wishing to trigger her wrath again, I complied, stepping closer to within easy reach.

Closing her eyes, she lay her hands on my chest, channeling her power into my body, presumably in an effort to heal me. The first delicate traces of healing began to come over me, taking just enough of the edge off of my pain to make rational thought a likelihood. That was as far as it got though, for it was as id a wall had been thrown up between us, her power suddenly blocked. Looking to her with some concern, I saw her gritting her teeth, one hand rising to her forehead.

"What is happening?" she grunted, wincing as she opened her eyes.

"I don't know." I sighed, lowering myself to sit on the edge of the low wall that surrounded Miritayen's statue prison. "I don't like it though."

"No, neither do I." she said. "There's almost like a... darkness, that surrounded me when I tried to heal you. It seemed to try to wear away my aura, counteracting my healing and tearing into me for every extra effort I put in." A cold shiver of concern ran through me as a thought of what, or rather who, could be at fault here crossed my mind.

"Hey, so it's magic being affected right now, right?" I said, meeting her gaze. "Healing mostly it seems, although teleporting is also a big no-no it seems."

"Yes..." Destiny agreed hesitantly, seeming to be willing to allow me to finish my train of thought.

"Who is here, in this realm, who might have power over that?" I asked, the question asked somewhat hypothetically.

Destiny's face paled as she seemed to realize what I was implying. "Texolauren." she whispered, and I nodded.

"It all fits." I said "He's got the most power over magics like healing as an order lord, and the magic plane's realmlord. As for teleporting, I was literally dumping entire self into his realm, where I was vulnerable to his power."

"But why now?" she asked "He's been in alliance with Void's lot for a long time now. If he wanted us out of the way, why not cut off our power when we were injured or opposing them, get us out of the way sooner?"

I shrugged "Don't know. Maybe he couldn't. He's gotten a lot stronger lately, what with how he has taken Steve as his physical form."

"Mhee, t'ws Notch." a voice murmured form the other side of the room. Destiny turned at the sound, her stance easing slightly as she saw Jeb sitting up, eyes still somewhat unfocused and clouded with sleep, but defiantly turned in our direction.

"What was that?" Destiny asked.

"Notch." Jeb said, his gaze focusing slightly as he shook off the embrace of unconscious. "It was him. His distress. I felt it. Through this." He reached down and pulled on a thin chain looped around his neck, and as he drew it out, I realigned it was a necklace, Destiny's rune sign etched into its charm. Destiny sighed as she saw it, a look of understanding crossing her face.

"He cried out?" she asked. Jeb nodded, looking upset.

"He calls for help." he said after a moment of hesitation. "In his dreams. He is plagued by a creature there, one who will leave him no peace." He seemed to consider stopping there for a moment before continuing, his words softer than before.

"I had felt the feeling before, in lesser force, but was unable to answer it, though I knew not why. It must have been the healing state I was in that kept us from linking, though it also seems like it was somehow keeping Notch's dreams as just that, dreams. I fear that now, my awakening could bring him more trouble than he already has."

Raising a hand to Destiny's shoulder, I sent to her through contact rather than through Texolauren's plane.

_He could be right you know._

*I know.* she sighed, closing her eyes.

_If he is._ I said tentatively, hoping to improver her mood slightly, for I felt a bit bad here. I could tell that part of her eerie calm here was due to guilt at attacking me, when from Jeb's account, I was clear that I had not done anything. _Then your actions may have protected both of them from Texolauren. It seems like he had less influence over you than me anyway._

*Not really.* she admitted *You just teleported and got the worst of it. I put Jeb in healing stasis before Texolauren was really active here, before Notch left... * She trailed off, looking at me with wide eyes. I met her gaze, following her train of thought.

_You think that caused this._

*Maybe.* she said *I believe Shatter went to attend them in the End as well as that time. Both of them leaving the realms they watch over may have been enough to allow Texolauren greater sway, in this realm at least.* Her gaze strayed to Jeb, something I caught notice of.

_He can't stay here._ I sent _You know that._

*Will you escort him?* she asked *I would not ask you to teleport him, but I do not want him to encounter Star or Void as he makes his way to the End.*

_I can do that._ I agreed. _I'll take Notchie with us, no sense in having him here where Star might try to influence him._

Destiny nodded.

_One thing. _ I said, meeting her gaze completely. _I shall return with haste, so keep yourself safe for that time, but I must ask one thing of you. Watch over Miri, I have sworn __to protect him until time comes when I can free him._

_ *_I shall._* _She promised.

_Alright._ I nodded. _I shall be on my way._

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**A/N: Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review, I love hearing from you all. Any questions for me or the characters can also be left in a review, or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you all have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	111. Aboard the Celaeno

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Not much to say, so on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel, or the Yogscast.**

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**Peculiar's POV**

"So, what have you been doing?" asked Xephos, shifting his hold on the airship railing "We were on the island for some time, you have to had done something while we were stuck there."

I shrugged, I really didn't want to go into that, considering that I really didn't know what had happened, at least for a part of the time. My time in Terrorvale was all sort of a blur after they disappeared, and I didn't want them to know that. It would make me look bad in their eyes, that I had been going through life so ordinary that was so boring and uninteresting that I could not even remember it, for months while they had been trapped here, fighting for their own survival with every passing day.

Xephos shifted uneasily beside me for a moment, eyes fixed outwards towards the ground far below us, a sight I was still anxiously trying to avoid. After a moment, he sighed, releasing the railing and rising to his full height, looking over at where I stood. The faintest wisps of blue light gathered around his eyes, an unreadable expression on his face as he stood silently. A minute later, he let out a breath.

"I'll be inside with Honeydew and Lysander." he said, turning to leave. He cast one fleeting, forlorn glance over his shoulder before going inside, leaving me alone on the deck.

_You handled that badly._ I berated myself. Xephos clearly was quite unsure of himself in some social situation, almost as if he didn't quite understand them, and I was hardly going to make things any better by giving him the cold shoulder. Sighing, I turned away from the edge of the airship, not wanting to see the sudden drop off into nothingness. Lysander was emerging from the ship's small hold as I watched, and he gave a wave of greeting as he approached.

"You should come inside." he said "It's starting to get a bit dark out now, and there's food inside if you are hungry. Besides that, if the wind keeps in our favor like this, we should be back to the mainland by mid-morning. You'll want to be rested for that, so I suggest an early night.

Reluctantly I agreed, knowing even as I did so that for me at least, a restful sleep seemed to be more impossible than ice in the deepest reached of the Nether.

I was woken from an uneasy sleep what seemed like only a few minutes later, although it was probably more like hours. Groaning, I sat up, minding my head in the low space. Who could possibly need me awake at this time, in what I assumed was the middle of the night?

My question was immediately answered though, when I noticed the intense blue glow that saturated the room. Turning slightly, I saw Xephos standing in the doorway, an anxious look clearly visible on his face.

"Lysander says that you should come out on deck." he said, hands clasped tightly in front of himself.

"Alright, give me a minute." I sighed, sitting up and slowly making my way out of the narrow cot I had been sleeping on. When I was standing, I was surprised to notice that Xephos was still standing by the door, hands now clasped around the handle.

"You waiting for me?" I asked. Xephos nodded slowly, the glow from his eyes shifting with the movement, darkening the room momentarily.

"Lysander said he doesn't want us alone right now." He said by way of explanation. "He doesn't think it would be safe."

"Alright..." I said slowly, still not really sure as to why this was all necessary, but it was Lysander's airship, so his rules were the rules.

Stretching slightly, I followed after Xephos. As we entered the hallway, a faint smell of smoke wafted past, raising alarm bells. As we drew closer to the deck, the smell only intensified, until I had to cover my nose and mouth with my sleeve to be able to get a clean breath of air. Beside me, I could tell that Xephos was doing the same.

As we emerged out onto the deck, I expected the smoke to lessen, for surely if this was from the Celaeno, things would be less oppressive in the breeze filled night air. The exact opposite seemed to be true though. As we emerged out onto the deck, a greater wave of smoke washed over us, making me cough.

"Honeydew! We're over here!" Xephos called into the gloom, one hand holding a piece of cloth over his nose and mouth, The glow of his eyes cut a bright path through the smoke, giving us just enough of an idea of where we were to make our way along.

"Xephos!" Honeydew's voice sounded from nearby, allowing us to make a path around the ship to where he was. As we drew nearer, I was able to see a figure by the ladder way up to the Celaeno's top deck. The figure was quite short, and as we approached, the faint glow of a torch made its way through the gloom that hung around the ship. Xephos increased his pace upon seeing this, snatching the lit torch from Honeydew's hand.

"See Xeph, you didn't die!" Honeydew said cheerily, picking up his pickaxe from where it lay beside him. It was quite worn, one of the few things the two heroes had brought with them from the island.

"Shut up Honeydew." Xephos said quietly, holding his torch with both hands. Noticing that Xephos seemed uneasy, I cut into their conversation.

"Uh, do you know where Lysander is?" I asked. Honeydew gestured up the ladder.

"He's up there. Went to keep lookout since we don't know where all this smoke is coming from."

"So it is smoke." I noted "And it's not from the ship? I thought it might've been."

Honeydew shook his head. "Nah. Lysander checking that soon as Xeph let him know something was off. It's because it's dark, see. We were in the smoke before we knew what was ahead. Lysander said he'll do what he can, but there's no real good way of telling where we are at least until the sun comes up.

A sound of footsteps cam from just above, and a moment later Lysander climbed down the ladder to stand beside Honeydew.

"Good, you brought him." Lysander said, nodding at Honeydew. Xephos scowled at the dwarf, obviously upset. From what I saw here, I could make a guess as to what had happened.

"Why did you need me up?" I asked. IT was the one thing that I had not really followed, as it seemed the air in the sleeping hold was cleaner than the air outside.

"I wanted you all here so I could make sure everyone was clear on what to do should we need to take some sort of evasive action." said Lysander. "We have no idea what is causing this smoke, and we're going in pretty much blind."

"So what do we doe?" asked Xephos, surprisingly calm. H seemed to be the least surprised about this out of all of us, something I found strange considering all the little things he seemed not to know of.

"As I said, it shouldn't be a problem." Lysander said "Just in case though, I would like you all to stay together. Sleep, talk, stare at a wall, I don't care what you do. It will hopefully keep us from getting separated should something happen."

"What about you?" asked Honeydew, slinging his pickaxe over his shoulder. "We won't be all together if you're up piloting the airship."

"And when was the last time you got any sleep Lysander?" I asked, an image of my bunk springing to mind as my body cried out fro sleep. It was impossible to tell through the smoke, but it had to be quite early in the morning, in the wee hours before dawn.

Lysander smiled tiredly at my statement. "You have a good point, but let me remind you that I am the one flying the ship. I can't just go to sleep and hope we end up where we need to be, especially in a situation like this."

Beside me, Xephos spoke up, surprising all of us with his words.

"I think I know how to fly the ship."

Honeydew looked at Xephos with wide eyes, disbelief in his tone as he spoke, as well as a note of indignation. "You never told me you knew how to fly an airship!"

Xephos shrugged. "It never really cam up." he explained. Turning to Lysander, he asked "Would that be alright?" Lysander seemed to consider this for a moment.

"I suppose." he said at last. "I could use the rest. In that case, I'll rest on the upper deck while you pilot, and Honeydew and Peculiar can stay together in the main quarters. Alright?"

I nodded, and the others also agreed. What Lysander had said made sense, and maybe it would help to make me sleep a little easier knowing someone else was in the room with me.

* * *

I half-woke a handful of hours later, the sound of raised voices outside catching my interest. Looking over to Honeydew though, I saw that the dwarf was still sleeping soundly, stretched out on a second cot we had managed to squeeze into the small room. Deciding to take a page out of his book, I allowed myself to drift off again.

* * *

When I finally awoke, it was to an enormous crash, the room seeming to break apart around me. Somewhat dizzily, I slowly got to my feet, coughing as I inhaled a lung full of smoke much stronger than what had been preset on the Celaeno. Looking around, i saw that we were surrounded by a combination of fire and broken bits of wood, most driven down someways into the beach-like terrain we seemed to be standing on. Turning again, I saw Honeydew a little ways off, a fairly sizable lump already raised on his head. Xephos hurried around him, tending to his injuries and digging through the debris for something or other.

Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I turned, seeing a somewhat haggered Lysander standing on my other side.

"Peculiar, are you alright?" he asked.

"I think so." I managed to croak out, my voice still almost gone from the smoke I had inhaled. "What happened? Was it..." I glanced in the direction of the heroes, not wanting to voice my concern. Lysander smiled slightly at this.

"No, Xephos was fine. He mostly minded things while I got a bit of sleep. No, this was the smoke."

"The smoke." I said, not sure where he was going with this.

Lysander nodded, "We got to an area where there was more smoke than before, and the ship was not able to maintain enough lift to stay airborne. So here we are."  
"Where is here?" I asked.

Lysander shrugged. "We'll have to figure that out, then we can get back to the city."

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review, I love hearing from you all. Any questions for me or the characters can be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	112. Dinnertime Panic

**A/N:Hey, Ender here. Let's get right into things, on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Notch's POV**

"Notch? Notch! Hello, anyone home?"

Shaking my head, I tried to rid myself of the hazy thoughts that clouded my mind. It had been some time now since I last slept, and it was with no small amount of difficulty that I was keeping myself free from its clutching embrace. I had to be strong though, had to keep myself awake. For I could not bear to face what awaited me in my dreams. It had come as fragments at first, wisps of faint recollection of what happened in the Aether. It seemed to be more than that now though, the memories not seeming like memories, but rather like something new. Something darker.

"Are you alright?" another voice asked, a hand reaching across the table I was seated at to rest on top of mine.

"Fine." I murmured, pulling my hand away and resting it on my lap beneath the table. Looking down, I watched their expressions in the reflection in my water glass. It was Shadow who had reached out to me of course, it always was, and the one who had spoken first, to break me from my mixed up thoughts, was Herobrine. It had been someone's brilliant idea that to try to make things better, we should try and do more things together, to strengthen our bonds or something. Which was what left me here, having the most awkward meal of my life. I was going to kill whoever made that suggestion, soon as I figured out who had.

Unhappily I poked at the food before me, some roast vegetables and what looked like chicken, although you never really knew with the End. There could be like forty kinds of birds around the islands and you'd never know.

Distractedly, I began turning some of the larger pieces of vegetable into progressively smaller ones, making a point of ignoring whatever Herobrine and Shadow were talking about. The faster they figured out what a terrible idea this whole 'family dinner' things was, the fast I could go do something else. Upon hearing my name though, I glanced up, raising an eyebrow at the guilty look on Shadow's face and the upset one on Herobrine's.

"What?" I asked in confusion. "Is this about the food?" I gestured to my plate, where much of the contents had been turned into tiny pieces. "I'm still going to eat it, so if you're all upset about that..."

Shadow shook his head. "No, it's not that. Its..." He paused, glancing at Herobrine, who seemed not to know what to do. Upon seeing that I was paying attention to him, Herobrine turned his attention back to his plate, avoiding my gaze.

"Well, it's a bit difficult." Shadow said at last, lacing his hands in front of him, his plate shoved partially to the side. "We've noticed that the whole sleep thing seems to be getting worse, and, ah, we were wondering if you had any ideas as to how we might go about helping with that."

I choked on my food for a moment at his words, immediately regretting my decision to start eating.

_How much do they know?_ I panicked, my thoughts immediately going to Herobrine. I was never quite sure how much he was able to pick up form me, and if he had caught even a glimpse of one of my nightmares...

As soon as the thought came to me, I struggled to push it away. I tried so hard to keep him safe, to make up for what I had done, but it seemed that no matter what happened, things only got worse. It was only recently that Void's rune had begun to fade from where it marked Herobrine's forehead, a reminder of what I had done.

Pushing these thoughts aside, I centered myself, putting on a mask of calm indifference. Shrugging, I said "I haven't thought about it much. I've been quite busy you know, with all the projects I've been working on." The projects were real, they just were not what I said. Most of the time, working on them was all that could keep me awake, when everything else I tried failed.

Shadow looked to Herobrine for a moment, who refused to meet his gaze, before reaching into a pocket, pulling out a potion.

"We thought you could try this." he said simply, giving a push in my direction. Confused as to how they were acting, I stood, reaching across the table and taking hold of the container. Taking hold of the lid, I twisted it open. Immediately I was greeted by a sickly sweet, almost metallic smell of melons and sugar.

Time almost seemed to slow as my mind made the connection to what this was, the bottle slipping from my hand to smash on the floor even as I moved away from the table.

"What are you trying to do to me?" I shouted, glaring at them. Herobrine was quite clearly distressed, thin lines of fire dancing around where his hands were clutching the edge of the table. Shadow just seemed annoyed though.

"We have to try something." He said.

"Yes, but this?" I snapped, gesturing at the shattered bottle. "You almost killed the last person who was giving me these!" The potion now coating the floor was a potent mix, brewed from speed and healing potions, the source of the potion's characteristic smell. They produced sensations of calm and put the drinker at ease, putting unsettling thoughts far from their mind. They were also highly addictive, which had caused trouble for me in the past. I had only been able to break free of its influence when Herobrine cried out desperately for help, having fallen into danger in the Overworld. That was long ago now, over one hundred years, but the memory of breaking hold of the potion's influence was still clear, as was the memory of how Shadow had reacted. Having seen Shadow's overprotective nature in action before, I honestly believed that had Jeb not stopped him, Shadow could have taken Teloxen down without much trouble. Back to the matter at hand though.

"What would you have us do then?" demanded Shadow, also rising. "In case you haven't noticed, there's not a huge number of things we haven't tried yet. Course we could always use spells to keep you under, but I'm guessing you'd be against that one too."

At his words, my mind seemed to shut down, his tone coupled with the stress and fatigue on my body sending a single, persuasive command through me. Flee. I accepted it immediately, turning to run from the room and face-planting on the floor, my bare feet catching the edge of the rug and sending me crashing to the ground.

Swearing, I picked myself up, looking over my shoulder with wide, terrified eyes to see Shadow advancing towards me, anger flaring in his eyes. Behind him, Herobrine still sat at the table, a look of complete devastation on his face as he watched these events unfold. I needed no prompting to keep running at that point, hurtling down the nearest corridor to put some distance between me and Shadow.

Turning several corners, I halted my rapid pace, throwing myself against the nearest wall and willing myself to the other side. It wasn't quite teleportation, it really only worked over distances of a few blocks of material more solid than I was, but it didn't take nearly as much out of me as straight teleporting did. Of course, I could do one teleport away, but id didn't want to risk teleporting off the island.

I continued like this for a while, reaching some new point and phasing through the wall before running again. All the while, I could feel Shadow's presence searching for me, reaching out into the castle. Like this, I could now understand why Teloxen now tried so hard to stay on Shadow's good side. When provoked to this extent, he could be terrifying.

*Don't run. Please.* Herobrine's words broke into my thoughts, shattering my concentration and sending me running face first into a wall. Crying out in pain, I slid down to rest against it, trying to wish away my pain. A flicker of dismay came from Herobrine, followed by another sending. *Running will only provoke him. Please. Don't make things worse.*

_He's trying to drug me!_ I sent _I'm not going to let him do that!_

*What better ideas do you have?* he asked *If this doesn't stop, you're going to hurt yourself.*

_I'm working on it! _ I snapped, shakily getting to my feet and phasing through the wall, at last ending up on the hard Endstone of the island's main surface.

*I don't believe you.* Herobrine said simply, pulling back his aura until only the faintest traces of it touched mine. As he withdrew, he sent *And if you won't be honest with me, why should I trust you?*

His words cut into me and I collapsed onto the hard ground, my adrenaline gone and the fatigue of running washing over me. Shaking from exhaustion, I pulled my aura in close, feeling Herobrine's absence clearly. Closing my eyes, I gave in to the darkness. For surely, no nightmare could be worse than the reality I was faced with now.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Any questions for me or the characters can be left in a review or PM'ed to me. I hope you all have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	113. Encounter and Proposition

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Not much to say, so on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Notch's POV**

My dreams were stormy, but the darkness that filled them was formless, lacking the distinct, terror bringing images that had haunted me for weeks now. So it was with a measure of reluctance that I awoke to the sound of footsteps crunching on the endstone nearby, some of the smaller, more delicate ridges of stone breaking off as whoever it was approached along a rarely used path. I stayed still as I listened to the approach of footsteps, trying to guess who they could belong to from the light sound of their steps. No person sprang to mind though, so I stayed put, eyes closed tightly and trying to keep my breath even, to appear asleep.

**Pathetic.** A powerful voice hissed in my ears, sending a shiver of fear shooting down my spine. It did not belong to one I had met directly, but the presence that that accompanied it was one that I was well familiar with. After all, he had been whispering to Herobrine for decades now, and had been the one who allowed Israphel to rise to such great power, to a point where he could drive Steve from his home realm. No, I had never met Void, but I knew much of him. From what I had heard, Void could be very irrational, and I had no idea what had brought him here, or why he had chosen to appear to me.

Blanking my thoughts and keeping still, I sent a silent prayer to whatever kindly spirit might be watching over me that Void might just leave me be, that him being here was just a coincidence. Of course, it was not like I could ever get a break here.

**I know you do not sleep.**The voice hissed, the words themselves bringing with them a cold feeling of fear and desperation that sought to latch on to me, to pull me further under its sway. Knowing that continuing my charade would do me no good, I opened my eyes, slowly getting to my feet. I was careful to keep my aura pulled in as I did so. The last thing I wanted to happen was to have Shadow stumble upon me while I was dealing with this.

All while I was doing this, I was careful to keep my gaze turned downwards. I really didn't want to unexpectedly come face to face with Void, simply because I had no idea how he would react to it. From what I had heard and inferred from my own encounters, the last thing I wanted to do was to get on his bad side, considering that I had been in opposition to his forces pretty much all along, even before I knew of his existence.

**How is it that you are once again such a problem in my plans?** Void asked, his steps taking him uncomfortably close to me.

I froze as I felt the intrusive touch of Void's fingers brush against my cheek, not sure what to do. A hand under my chin drew my gaze reluctantly upwards, bringing me face to face with Void.

I wasn't really sure what to expect Void to look like, mostly because I had never been quite sure of even what Void was. From this angle, with Void encroaching so far into my personal space, I wasn't really able to get a complete look at him, but what I could see surprised me.

Void was about my height, maybe a bit shorter than that, with a dark, obsidian colored cloak covering the majority of his body. From this angle, I could see beneath his hood, where though much of his face was hidden by shadow, a pair of dark eyes looked out, seeming to glow with an ethereal light. Starting from his shoulders and extending outwards to curl forwards, I caught sight of something shifting in and out of existence. Finally I realized that they were part of a set of four curving spines, two curving upwards to point forwards over his shoulders, and two curving downwards to end just below his hips. Looking closer, I saw that thin traces of dark power arced back behind him like a set of ethereal wings.

"Why are you here?" I managed to ask at last, shaking off the confusion and unease that he had triggered in me.

**You are... of interest to me.** He said, a pause in his speech as he took a moment to think of the right words. **You seem so powerless in our eyes, yet you keep ending up right in the middle of it all.**

"Others have as well." I pointed out, more intent on diverting his focus from me than showing some great level of humility.

**Hm, yes, well you seem to get through it all a bit more, ah, _resiliently_ than those others though. Most of the time, we have no power over you. You seem to be your own worst enemy more often than not.**

I bit my lip as I considered his words. His final statement struck me quite heavily, bringing to mind the instanced I knew he had intended it to. My loss of control when I had sealed the Aether off from the Overworld, resulting in Jeb and Teloxen taking action with their potions. My retreat into the Aether after Steve had been taken, isolating myself from Herobrine so severely that I was ready to accuse him of anything with the slightest provocation, and nearly being the end of both of us from continued time apart putting an intense strain on our magic. And now, how I was once again threatened with the potions that had kept me down for so long before, and it was once again at the result of my own actions, of a sheer inability to deal with my emotions on my own.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, hugging my arms against my chest in an effort to calm down even a bit. I had to stay strong, to keep myself together, but it was not easy when I was near Void. He oozed chaos, his power tearing at my weakening composure and threatening to send me to pieces.

Void gave me a long measured look, seeming to choose his words very carefully. Finally, he spoke.

**This alliance I find myself in, it is more for convenience than for any great love of once another. One of us in particular, mh, well, lets just say that I have more than vague confidence that should we come out on top of things, it would not be long before another conflict arose.**

It occurred to me what he was implying. "Texolauren's doing." I said, fairly confident of my words. Void gave me a knowing look, but said nothing.

**Anyway.** He said breezily a moment later, dismissing the previous incident with a wave of his hand. **That's where you come in.** Though I had little to no trust in Void, my curiosity was piqued at Void's words.

"What do you mean?" I asked hesitantly. Void grinned, a terrifying expression that revealed his slightly pointed teeth.

**Well, I assume you know he is the one who had been bringing you these nightmares.** At my nod, Void continued. **Well, as you may not know, I have a fair amount of power over dreams as well. Most chaos users do, what with them being such ever shifting expressions of ideas, but that's not important. What matters is that you need your little dream problem sorted out, and I need someone like you to assist with dealing with _him_ should the time ever come. Fair as I can make it, all things considered. I know that's important to you.**

His last words were dripping with so much sarcasm that I could practically taste it, but I centered myself, staying calm. To get worked up was to let him win, for in a state like that, I would be even more vulnerable to his words.

Reading between the lines, I came up with one idea of what he had in mind and was less than thrilled by what it involved.

"You want to use me as bait." I said. Void shrugged.

**It's no secret that he doesn't like you very much after how that snake Will freed you. I'm simply offering you a chance to use that fact to obtain an advantage.**

I considered his words for a moment before asking with some trepidation. "And if I should refuse your offer?"

Void seemed to grow more menacing in a second, eyes narrowing and a flash of sold surging through the air around him.

**Well, I guess I would just have to go at it alone then.** He said, his tone the same as before but with the faintest hint of something more below his words. He lay a freezing hand on my chest, looking me in the eye as he spoke. **Of course, there is always your brother I suppose**. He said, almost to himself. **If you were to say, reject my generous offer, I could always enlist the, ah, somewhat unwilling help of him in your place.** He said this all with his normal tone, but I could see in his eyes the unspoken threat. Cross me and pay the price. I have all the power here and you have none. Reluctantly I dipped my head.

"May I have a time to consider your offer." Void nodded.

**But if you breath a word of this to any other.** He said, eyes narrowed. **Not only shall your brother serve my side for the rest of days, but I shall have him hunt you down as well.** With this threat uttered, Void seemed to relax a bit, his form settling closer to how it had been when he first appeared. **Consider my words. **He said **I think you would be good for our alliance. There are more of the light kind with us than you would think. You would fit in.** With these words, he seemed to fade away, leaving me alone on the edge of the End island, with only my thoughts and the wind from the darkness below.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review, I really love hearing from you guys. Any questions for me or the characters can be left in a receive or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you next chapter. Bye! :D**


	114. Conversation in the Magic Plane

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I'd like to thank you all for getting me to this point, as we are at over 4k views for this story! Not much else to say, so on with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel, or the Yogscast.**

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**Texolauren's POV**

A flicker of power shifted around me, bringing with it traces of a presence I had known to be around for some time now.

**I was wondering when you would show yourself.** I said, casting my gaze around in an effort to located the source of the presence. **You could not possibly think that your contact would go unnoticed.**

*It was not my intentions that my actions should be secret.* They replied.

**Why do you hide in the mists of this plane then?** I asked, growing frustrated as I was unable to locate them. **If you wish to speak with me, show yourself! I will do no more until you do.**

*Do you think me so foolish that I will show myself freely in your realm when I seemed to have somehow displeased you?* they asked lightly *I have seen what you are capable of doing, and unless I am assured of my safety, I shall be staying where I am.*

Growing frustrated, I gritted my teeth, glaring into the depths of the magic plane. Casting my senses out wide, I was still unable to sense anything beyond the usual presence of the magic demons and others of my kind, and the faint, taunting wisps of the mockingly familiar presence that I could not seem to place.

Their voice broke into my thoughts. *So, shall you grant what I ask?*

Closing my eyes, I let out a deep sigh. **What is it that you would have?** I asked in resignation.

The presence seemed somewhat amused at this.

*I have already told you what my basic desire is.* They said *To have a guarantee of my safety if I am to reveal myself. Anything more than hat must be discussed more directly at a later time.*

Cursing whoever it was, I opened my lower set of eyes, glaring upwards.

**Very well.** I said in a resigned tone. **For the time in which you reveal yourself in my realm for the purpose of this conversation, I shall not bring any harm upon you. This I swear. I can make no promises for those others who inhabit my realm though. You will have to take care of them yourself.**

*As you say.* they acknowledged. *I shall reveal myself to you, and hold you to your word. May justice be swift should you dare to break it.* Their words were soft, but carried with them an air of complete seriousness. Whoever this was, they meant business.

A surge of power radiated from on e of the clouds of free magic near by, the stray tendrils I had been feeling for some time now coalescing to join the greater whole. I felt an unexpected flicker of awareness from _within_ my aura at the shift of power, something which I had not been prepared for. Steve had been unusually still over the last while, to an extent which had me questioning whether he had finally succumbed to the loss of power, the remains of his aura the only reminder of what had happened to him. Well, that and my physical for, ever shifting towards my true form. Now though, it seemed that this was not the case.

_So, you still live little one._ I whispered to him, feeling the faint flinch away from the direction of my sending. I felt conflicted, as I always did, upon considering his state. On one hand, I knew why I had done what I had done, why I had deemed it necessary. I had hoped that I would be able to at least offer him a peaceful rest if he were to fade like those who had come before, but my aura would not allow such things. It cut against his aura, preventing any of the more delicate transformations that I would have preferred for him. On the other hand though, he had always stood against us, and I knew that at least a small part of me did desire for him to have some measure of accountability for how he had been against us. Either way though, it seemed as if there was little I could control in his case. Even if I were to consciously try to spare him at this point, I was not sure if I would be successful. After a certain point, my shifting was out of my control, and that had been passed some time ago, when I had taken Steve's physical form as my own.

As a passing though, I took a delicate, feather-light strand of aura and coaxed it around Steve's flickering presence, hoping it would be enough to keep him from the most toxic strands of my power until I could figure out where exactly my feeling stood with him.

A confused flicker of awareness trickled to me from his faint aura, clearly not knowing why I had suddenly shown him even a small measure of mercy. Aware of how I was ignoring my surrounding, I sheltered away my feelings, hiding them deep within my aura to deal with later, when I could do so on my own time and my own conditions. Then I turned my attention outwards, centering myself and readying my power for whoever I might face. The concentration of power from before had resolved itself into the auric silhouette of another, one who I now recognized.

**Viicotray.** I acknowledged, dipping my head.

"Texolauren." he said, his words no longer transmitted by sending but with their power carefully restrained, lacking the resonating influence that I knew mine to carry.

**Where have you been hiding yourself?** I asked, somewhat confused. **And more to the point, ****why have you been doing so?** From what I knew for the most part, Viicotray had not been present in these realms, choosing to remain elsewhere for the time being.

"I have not been watching these realms for long." he said "Yet I have picked up much of what has happened within these world. It is on the behalf of the one you hold within your aura that I do choose to intervene now, for I have felt his pain like it was my own. I have spoken to him, and he dearly wishes to be freed from your bondage. I am here on his behalf to ask for this for him, as was requested of me."

**What did you do to reach him? **I asked **So far as I am ****aware, no**** others have tried to do so, and I am sure that Will or their lot would have tried to do so if they had the ability to.**

"I have power you do not know of, Texolauren" Viicotray said lightly "You know well that all of us carry within us a variety of powers, and the ability to reach within others and interact with individual portions of their aura just happens to be one of mine. It just happens that I was in the rights place at the right time to hear his cries."

I felt a light blush of shame at his words, something that felt suspiciously like tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. When it was presented so casually, all out in the open like that, it really cemented what I had done. And just because I had done it, had deemed it necessary and acceptable under those earlier circumstance, did not mean that I was always sure I had made the right choice.

"I do not come to shame you." Viicotray said softly, reaching out a soft strand of aura to touch away whatever had formed at the edge of my vision. "I come to ask for permission."

"Permission for what?" I asked, my words much more subdued as I struggled to maintain my composure in the face of all that was happening.

"Permission to take the one you have ensnared under my influence. To tend to him, to free him from the pain you have brought him." I opened my mouth to protest, but a raised hand from Viicotray silenced my unspoken concerns on my lips.

"I know you do not have the power to free him, something I am sure the others do not know. I also know that your attitudes change quite greatly from when you have a form to while you lack one. What I propose is that you allow me to free the spirit from within your aura, to shelter it for a time. We shall see where things take us from that point after a time."

"I can agree to that." I said after a moment's thought.

"Alright." said Viicotray "Let us begin."

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review. Any questions for me or the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. I hope you have a great day, and I shall see you all next chapter! Bye! :D**


	115. Following and Ritual

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Not much to say here, so on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Will's POV**

I let out a long breath after the portal deposited us in the End, feeling the relief of breaking the surface of a lake after a long, uncertain time submerged. It was more than the relief of making it from the Aether to the End without encountering any threat. It was also the presence of much stronger Chaos power here, allowing me to breath a bit easier for the first time in decades, since before Israphel had been conquered.

Recalling my reason for being here, I quickly glanced around, relaxing slightly upon seeing Jeb safely positioned on the edge of the small, cushioned from we had emerged in. Kneeling down beside him, I felt for a pulse, finding it immediately, powerful enough to assure me that no harm had befallen him during the transit, and that he was merely unconscious from the usual strain such teleports put on the body.

Gathering him in my arms, I stood, taking a minute to get used to the extra weight I was carrying before leaving the building. It was nothing outrageous, just a simple, one room building to keep shelter over those who came through the portal and ended up unconscious. It must have also had an environmental charm over it, for as I stepped out, a rush of chilled air came over me, making me pause. I was no longer accustomed to such chills after spending so long in the Aether palace, where the temperature was always kept quite high.

As the cooler air washed over me, it also sharpened my mind, reminding me that Jeb was not the only one who was supposed to be here. We had picked up Notchie on the way to the Overworld portal, hoping that taking him from the Aether would help to keep any of our opponent lords from gaining influence over him. It was not hard to find him though. His sunny presence, underlined by just the faintest touch of power, was quite apparent in this somewhat empty section of the End. Most others seemed to miss this trace of chaos, but to me, its presence had always been like a bright ray of sun, standing out in the midst of the foggy sameness that had filled the Aether as order had taken over.

I followed the nearby presence to its source, where I found Notchie a short ways off form the edge of one of the islands, head cocked to one side and a look of confusion written across his features.

"What troubles you?" I asked softly, walking over to stand beside him.

He started slightly at the sound of my voice, his concentration broken.

"It's just a feeling." he replied softly "Something seems off here. It's probably nothing, just my mind playing tricks on me in this place."

"I'll keep an eye out all the same." I said "Come on, we should get to Shadow's castle. I don't know about you, but I would like to be able to sleep so I can finish healing."

As I spoke, I felt Jeb begin to stir in my arms, his powers now adjusted enough to the End's environment that they were freeing him from unconscious.

"Hm, wher'm I?" he murmured, eyes fluttering open slowly.

"The End." I said by way of explanation. He nodded drowsily, seeming to have no incentive to get up and move on his own. After a moment though, his eyes flew open in confusion, one hand reaching up to clasp a the thin necklace Star had given to him,

"What's wrong?" I asked him, shooting a brief glance at Notchie to see if he had some sort of explanation. Notchie shrugged, a perplexed expression on his face and streaks of pale violet and orange daring across his wings.

"Something with Notch." he said slowly, more awake than he had been a few moments before. Sensing his intentions, I released my grip on him, allowing him to stand.

"Well, we're going to the castle anyway." I said, "I'm sure we'll find Notch there."

"No." he said softly, one hand clasped around the charm on his necklace and his eyes closed as he channeled his magic, long delicate strands of power reaching outwards to examine the area. After a moment, his eyes snapped open and he started off, with only a shouted "This way!" over his shoulder as way of an explanation. With a resigned sigh I set off after him. All I really wanted to do right now was rest, to take some time to regain my strength and finish healing without being tormented with unavoidable onslaughts of order magic. But no, I had to promise Destiny that I would get her star-forsaken chosen to the End capital myself.

These complaints and more were muttered under my breath as we followed Jeb to wherever he was taking us. For a while, I thought he was taking us to the castle, after all it was the main structure on this island and we were going the right way.

My hopes were raised as we came in sight of it, the main gate tantalizingly close. But his path skirted the wall, taking us along the side of the great structure, and as much as I wanted to leave him there and then, I had promised. Letting out a deep sigh, I turned to Notchie.

"Go into the castle, and let Ender and the others know you are here. The last things we want to happen is for the Ender guards to jump us. I will go with this one and ensure that he doesn't run off the island or do something equally stupid."

Notchie dipped his head in agreement, before turning and retracing his steps back to the main gate. I watched his progress for a moment before turning back to follow Jeb. Wherever he was going now, I would follow after.

**Viicotray's POV**

I dipped my head in acknowledgment of Texolauren's confirmation, my mind quickly drawing together the various things I would need to do this. With how powerful this magic was, it war mostly about willpower, but it requires a few... special, components as well.

"Do you have a place where you would like to do this?" I asked "A place of power, some hidden stronghold, a familiar resting place?"

Texolauren seemed to consider this for a moment. _Probably trying to think of one his is willing to let me know of._ I thought as I watched. I knew that like all of us, Texolauren has such places. The question was, would he willingly reveal such a location.

At last he said "There is one such place."

"By all means, do tell." I said, keeping a careful watch over his aura as he spoke. Even simple flickers of color or power while he spoke could give me clues as to how things might work, as well as to his reason for letting me know of this place.

"It is a workspace of mine." he said "The place is a bubble of material plane within the depths of my realm, nothing much more significant than that. It is more of what occurred there that is of significance."

"Oh?" I asked sweetly, sensing his reluctance to speak and trying to take advantage of it with sympathy. I had to know where I stood with this if I was to avoid any wrath on Texolauren's part, something that could make or break this whole thing.

"Yes." he said, his presence practically dripping with displeasure and reluctance. "It is where I joined with this one, more than a century ago, where I took his body as my own and trapped his spirit within mine."

"Ah." I said, deciding to leave it at that. Any more pressing and Texolauren could lash out, something that I could not afford. Inwardly though, I was hopeful. Such a location that held significance for both of the for a common reason was promising. It brought with it a significant chance that what I was doing would be successful.

"Well, I believe I have what I need to do this." I said "So if you will lead on, I shall follow you to this place you speak of." I felt resigned acceptance from Texolauren at my words, and he set off slowly, his place presumable slowed by thoughts of what was to come. I didn't say anything of it though. After all, I hardly wished to undo any of the progress I had made, considering how much I had already done to reach this point.

_I hope you know what I do for your Steve._ I thought as I followed Texolauren's progress deeper into the magic plane. _Because I am going to be quite upset if I don't get some appreciative thanks after all of this._

The travel continued on for some time, the various layers of the magic plane all strikingly similar as we passed them each in turn. At last though, we broke into an area that was different. I felt the shift almost immediately, my aura condensing into my physical form as it recognized a material area.

I stretched as my form solidified, the flash of comfort that flowed through me as my muscles stretched to their proper tension making a few of my light stripes flash into brightness.

Texolauren looked me over with a neutral expression. "Still this form." he said, gesturing to me with one hand. "It's not practical, we've told you that, right?"

"I know." I said, crossing my arms and looking skywards. "But I make it work." My form was a mercreature, with a lower, fish-like tail that shifted to a builder-like body just above waist height. A swath of fabric was wrapped around my waist and tightly secured, numerous pockets with spell components scattered across its surface. Bright stripes of luminescence that I could turn off and on at will covered my arms and back, snaking upwards to light the space between my shoulder and neck. Small fins grew from my elbows, their bright frills able to fold back against my arms without too much difficulty.

Still pouting a bit from his words, I took hold of the edge of my necklace with one hand, twisting the interlocking shells absentmindedly. Texolauren and the others always spoke of how my form was not suited for what I did, considering that very few of the material realms were ocean ones. I was simply more comfortable in this form though, and if it meant I had to use a bit more power on levitation spells to get around, well then oh well.

"I could say the same, but I will not." I said somewhat snappily, looking over his form. It was what I assumed was Steve's form, but with the shift towards Texolauren's form that I had expected.

"Let's begin." I said, wanting to get this over with.

"Wait." he said, looking a bit conflicted. "Give me a minute. I have to..." he trailed off, words escaping him.

Resisting the temptation to roll my eyes, I sighed. "Alright, fine, but don't be too long." Texolauren dipped his head before retreating to the other side of the room to be alone with this thoughts. Or as alone as he could be, all things considered.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review, I love hearing from you all. I would also appreciate any one shot ideas you might want to see. Any questions for me or the characters that you have can be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	116. Searching the End

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. I would like to thank Lich the Ice Wizard for reviewing this week. On with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast.**

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**Jeb's POV**

_Come on, got to find him, got to hurry._ I told myself as I led onwards, eyes partially closed and one hand clasped tightly around my necklace as I made my way across the Endstone expanse that lay before me. Through the combination of our link and the necklaces that Destiny had given to us, I could just about follow Notch's presence across the End. Without this though, I knew that his aura would have been unreachable, as I could sense how closely restrained he was keeping it. Something had happened to him to put him in this state, and I intended to figure out what, and if possible, to reverse any damage that might have been done.

"Careful!" called Will, one hand reaching out to grab my shoulder and pull me back as the path I was following took me dangerously close to an edge. As a result of having to concentrate so hard on finding Notch, I was a bit oblivious to my surroundings, which was a less than ideal situation to be in in an island realm like the End.

I corrected my path away from the precipice and nodded slightly, to let Will know that I had heard his warning and was now aware of the situation. His hand started loosening its grip as he saw that I was more aware than before, but he did not release his hold, perhaps finding it more reassuring than I understood.

After several minutes of further travel, I felt Notch's presence gradually start to strengthen, signaling that we were getting closer to wherever he was. I was wondering if I had enough of a connection with him right now to get a sending to him, when I felt a powerful ripple of anger tinted energy roll across the area, the force of it almost driving me to my knees. I instinctively froze after my initial reaction though, the sensation sending a wave of fear racing through me as my mind instinctively related the emotions the power was wrapped in with the bursts of wild fury that Destiny was often prone to. I couldn't do anything, my body so caught up in the conflict of the knowledge that it wasn't her, that there was no way she could be here, and the pure, instinctive urge to flee that my mind was screaming to my body, that I was unable to think coherent thoughts, let also do anything more than that. Certainly nothing that would help Notch.

An uncertain touch to the edge of my aura, breaking into the midst of my thoughts, was enough to disrupt the continuous stream of whirling ideas, letting my pull myself to at least basic coherence. The touch was layered with somewhat hastily smoothed back chaos power, bringing with it the now familiar touch of Will's presence. His being here was enough to reassure me that even had Destiny been here, I would not be allowed to fall into her clutches, not end up as the victim of her fury once more.

_Easy._ Will sent, doing his best to keep his aura calm and regular even though the standard state of his aura was disordered, all over the place, and for the most part, general craziness. Despite all this, he was making a good effort, and my aura used it like a stepping stone, allowing me to pull myself further towards my usual state of mind. Taking a deep breath, I spent a moment centering myself further before opening my eyes.

"You okay?" Will asked. At some point, he had come around to stand before me, one hand carefully set on my shoulder as he looked me over with eyes brimming with barely concealed concern, something that surprised me considering that I was for all intents and purposes, the chosen of who I understood was one of his enemies. After a moment though, I nodded, still somewhat shaken by my experience by beginning to relax to a certain extent. I still didn't know why Will had been the one to bring me here, why it hadn't been Destiny, or why I hadn't gone on my own, but sometimes it was best not to question things. Especially when those questions had to be directed at Destiny.

"Yeah, I'm alright." I sighed, self consciously rubbing one arm .I was not proud of how I reacted to things like this, it was just kind of something that happened.

"Alright." said Will, dipping his head. "In that case, you should probably focus on finding Notch. Whatever caused that surge of energy, it would probably be best if it were not to encounter Notch, considering that you said he may not be in great shape."

"Alright." I agreed, taking a shaky step forwards and immediately having to stop as my vision swam, a feeling of lightheadedness coming over me and bright patches of light flaring up before my eyes before fading to blackness. Will's grip on my shoulder tightened as I swayed dangerously, keeping me upright. A flash of further concern darted over his features as he looked me over. This power, it unbalanced me, my aura, my magic itself, affecting not only my mental state, but my physical one as well.

"Alright, let's do things this way then." Will said, releasing his grip on my shoulder and turning around. Glancing over his shoulder, he said to me "Can you get on?"

Understanding what he wanted me to do at once, I nodded, stepping forward resolutely and steeling myself for what was to come, and the effort that would be needed to complete this task. Carefully I made my way over to Will, even the short distance seeming like miles with my field of vision constantly shifting. Though I knew I was on solid ground, it seemed as if I were on a ship, rocked constantly and without warning by the waves of the sea.

Grabbing hold of his shoulder, I pulled myself up onto Will's back. Closing my eyes, I held on, feeling Will begin walking, presumably in the direction I had already been heading.

"Where do I need to go?" he asked as he walked.

Keeping my eyes closed, I reached out to find the traces of Notch's presence from before, only to discover that I could find no trace of them. For a heart stopping moment, I thought that they had disappeared completely, until I realized that could still feel his presence, although faintly, through my necklace.

Trying to catch the breath that had been driven from my by my heart lurching moment of terror, I decided that whatever the source of this force was, it needed to be where we were going, since there could be no finding Notch until their power was removed, since it seemed to mask almost every trace of Notch's power, keeping me from knowing where to look.

"AS much as I dislike your idea." said Will, obviously picking the ideas from the edges of my loosely guarded aura, since I sure wasn't speaking them aloud, "I agree that what you have deduced is the only thing that makes logical sense in this situation, and so as much as it pains me to admit this, and it really does, since it is pretty much the most order driven decision you could make in this situation, I will go and find the source of this power.

Closing my eyes I sent him my agreement to the plan, my body pulling me into unconsciousness as it sought to heal the ragged edges of my aura, the damage caused by the surges of furious, chaos tinged power that had been thrown around.

"Rest while we travel." I heard Will say before I drifted off. "I shall wake you when we encounter anything of significance. Until then though, you must devote your time to recovery." With that, the world faded out, leaving me with only the darkness of sleep as a companion.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review, I love hearing from you all. Any questions for me or the characters can be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	117. Into Mistal City

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. So as of writing this, I am officially a graduate! Off to college in the fall for me, but I will continue to update this on schedule to the best of my ability. On with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel, or the Yogscast.**

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**Old Peculiar's POV**

The road that lay before us was somewhat familiar, something that gave me a small measure of comfort in all this. And at this point, I I would take what I could get. We were traveling along the long road between Mistral city, and where the Celaeno had crashed, a spot that had turned out to be quite close to where the heroes had originally been based.

So much had happened in the half dozen hours since I woke in the crash that my head felt as if it were always spinning, the events weighing on me almost as heavily as the knowledge that Daisy was still in the clutches of Israphel.

The return to the portal where she, _Daisy,_ had finally been lost to us, taken into the depths of the Nether, and the renewed hope and intense drive to find her that it brought with it. This feeling had been snatched away though, at the sight of the sand that surrounded the structure, pooling around the base and trickling down the sides from the large pile on top. Faint memories of the sand from my past had sprung up at the sight of it, the knowledge of what it suggested filling me with dread.

My dismay at finding the portal sealed against us, a sure sign that his power was strong there, and Lysander and my decision to break the portal, to prevent any further corruption from entering this world, at least through this portal. The weakness that had come over me at the portal still lingered, and every so often it would rise up again, as strong as the time before. I hadn't really known what to do after the portal was broken, my resolve and confidence evaporating like mist in sunshine.

Lysander took charge then, saying that the best thing to do next would be to gather supplies and prepare to travel to Mistral City. This prompted the heroes to take us along the long tunnel that lead to their home, the Yogcave as they called it, only to reach the end and discover a much changed landscape, the place they had called home now a crumbling mess of craters. The sight left Honeydew in near hysterics, wailing expletives to the sky about who would do such a thing, while Xephos wandered around the scene with a grim expression, searching for anything that might have survived. Every so often, he would stop to lay a hand on the dwarf's shoulder or to comfort him with soft words, but it hadn't seemed to help much.

The sight of the smoldering wreckage of their home had explained the Celaeno's crash, at least according to Lysander, so after picking up the last few items scattered around, there was nothing left to do but set off along the road to Mistral.

A hand gently shook my shoulder, bringing me to my senses.

"Are you alright?" Xephos asked, worry dotting his eyes with blue mist.

"I think so." I said, trying to remember what had happened.

"You fainted or something." said Xephos "Honeydew did too." His words brought to mind the last thing I remembered.

"There was a hole." I stammered, pushing myself to my feet "A hole all the way through the world, with just blackness at the bottom."

Xephos nodded. "Yeah, Dew said he saw pretty much the same. Something about it must have made you both pass out."

"Everyone recovered?" Lysander asked, and I nodded slowly. I may not have felt a hundred percent, but I was well enough to continue on to Mistral, or at least I hoped that was true.

We had scarcely made it up the next hill though, when Xephos swayed, is eyes widening before he suddenly collapsed, Honeydew just managing to catch him before he hit the ground.

"What happened?" asked Lysander, hurrying over.

"I don't know." said Honeydew, looking concerned "Maybe what happened to me and Peculiar."

A moment later, Xephos began to stir, eyes squinting upwards as the light dazzled his eyes.

"Let me up Dew." he murmured, trying to focus on the dwarf and mostly succeeding. Honeydew complied, and Xephos slowly rose, taking a moment to root around in his bag before pulling out a water bottle. After a few gulps, he looked much better, and we once again set off towards the ever nearing sight of Mistral's high towers.

Upon finally reaching the town, something seemed off. The usual hustle and bustle of city life was far more hushed than it should have been, as though many of the residents of the once busy city were no longer around. I had fallen behind the heroes and Lysander as we traveled, and as the heroes stopped to investigate a guard post, with Lysander looking on with a small measure of irritation, I was relieved at the chance to catch up to them. It seemed that I had been nothing but a bystander so far, unimportant to what had transpired, and this feeling of uselessness weighed on me, slowing my already plodding steps.

After another quarter hour we reached the city proper, the heroes racing forward with barely controlled excitement to see what lay within the tall walls of the main gate. Their step slowed as they crossed the boundary of the city, slightly confused looks crossing their faces, but I dismissed it as nothing. Probably just some unfamiliar sight I couldn't see form this angle.

I focused on my own steps, not wanting to get left behind, but as I crossed the boundary of the city, I felt a rush of dizziness wash over me, my strength deserting me completely. I faintly heard Lysander call my name, followed by hurried footsteps. In a daze, I felt strong hands lifting me from ground I did not remember having fallen down on. The dizzy sensation started to fade as I was lifted to my feet, my strength trickling back, but nowhere as fast as I would have like it to.

"Come one, let's take him home." Lysander said, one arm still wrapped around me to keep me supported on the side he stood on. Honeydew supported me on the other side, with Xephos distractedly wandering behind us, seeming unsure of his place in all this. Lysander's words brought memories almost forgotten to mind, of time spent in Mistral before I had called Terrorvale home.

The path we traveled along took us past Granny Bacon's, where I had spoken with Lysander before. Xephos poked his head inside in interest, before following after us a moment later.

As we mounted the crest of the hill, a terrible sight was spread out before me. The place I called home was no more, just a shell of a building, with fire still licking across some of the more intact supports. A surge of adrenaline ran through me at the sight, and I grabbed for what little water I carried with me, ineffectively tossing it over the remaining flames. The heroes joined in, pouring buckets over the flames. Lysander did not, and after a moment he said "Peculiar, it is a lost cause. I would guess it had been burning for days, and even if you put out the flames, there is no saving it. You can stay with me while you regain your strength."

Reluctantly, I nodded, feelings of defeat driving the adrenaline from my system. I wasn't as fatigued as before, instead I just felt... empty. As if nothing really mattered much any more. I slowly followed after Lysander, head down and shitting out as much of the world as I could. I followed him into his house a few minutes later before trudging up the stairs. I settled by one of the room's large windows, gaze fixed on the distance and my attention pointedly turned away from anything the others might tell me.

After a few moments of this, I reluctantly turned my attention back to them in time to hear Xephos say "Rest up Peculiar, Lysander said he'd give us a short tour of the town while you sleep. We'll be back before you know it." I did not acknowledge his words, my attention turned back to the outside. A few minutes later, I heard the door slam and several pairs of footsteps on the walk outside. Sighing, for I knew they were gone and therefore there was no need to keep up any illusion of being alright, I sat on the bed, gathering my thoughts. I wanted, needed to rest, but I knew that if I did, it would only bring with it the nightmares that always tormented me. Even so, my body cried out for sleep, and it was not long before I felt myself drifting off, into the unnerving world of dreams.

**Star's POV**

"Mh, so they've reached the city." I said, stretching as I stood, looking down on the city below, I was perched on one of the tall towers of Mistral, and the sensation of the heroes and their companions blundering their way through my detection fields had been quite apparent. It was pretty clear as this point that none of them had much of any experience with magic, since these could have easily been avoided had they been aware of their presence and purpose. Even so, it certainly made my job easier, and if they thought something might be a bit off from their reaction to the intense power in the barriers, well what were they going to do about it anyway?

*Take care, Star* sent Void *We do not want them to suspect you. They have reason to after what you did to their home.*

_If I'm being honest, Void, I don't think they suspect anything, let alone me specifically. All the same, I will be careful. You know that is always a part of my goal._

*That's all I ask.* he replied, his presence fading slightly as he backed off, leaving me to my business.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review, I love hearing from you all. Any questions for me or the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


	118. Helping and Turmoil

**A/N: Hey, Ender here. Not much to say, so on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel or the Yogscast**

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**Jeb's POV**

*Uh, Jeb, you might want to be waking up, like now.* Sent Will, traces of panic darting along the edges of his words like tiny fireflies.

_Hmm?_ I sent sleepily, the words slipping into my half conscious mind and bringing a sense of urgency to my sluggish mind.

*Yeah, wake up, like now. Notch is in a bit of a state, and I need you awake to help deal with it.*

His words struck a cord, and I sleepily opened my eyes, squinting as my eyes took a minute to adjust to the strange lighting of the end. Now that I was awake, I could feel a regular flutter through Destiny's pendant, almost like a heartbeat.

"Where is he?" I asked, peering over Will's shoulder in an effort to catch any sight of Notch.

"A little way from here." Will assured me "I wanted to make sure you were awake and stable before I approached, since we may need to do a bit of an intervention."

"What do you mean?" I asked

"It's probably better if I just show you." Will admitted, sighing deeply. "Are you up to standing? This would be easier if I didn't have to carry you around." His words were tinged with irritation, but I could tell it was directed more towards this entire situation as a whole rather than anything that I had done in particular.

"I think I'm good." I assured him, loosening my grip and making my way to stand beside him. The ever shifting vision I had experienced before was gone, making me wonder if perhaps it had been nothing more than extreme fatigue at the time, combined with the stress of whatever was going on.

_Relax._ I told myself, one hand reaching up to hold the necklace close, as a kind of lifeline. _We'll sort this out, and things will be fine, and we will be fine, and everything will be alright._

"It's this way." said Will, seeing that I was able to stand on my own, and so we could continue onwards. He led us over a small rise, the wall of Shadow's complex clearly visible further down the slope. Diagonal to us and further along the wall, between that land mark and the edge of the End island, I could see two figures. One exuded an aura of rage tinted power, waves of energy buffeting the area around us. The other, the one closer to the island's edge, they had a much fainter presence laced through with fear and a small but ever increasing amount of resigned acceptance. Drawing closer, the indistinct figures resolved themselves into recognizable forms, but the identity of the weaker one had been known to me since I lay eyes on him. His antagonize was a surprise to me though, for I had thought that of all of those he was close to, Shadow would be the least likely to hold any grievances against him. Certainly nothing that would warrant the levels of power I could feel growing around us.

"Alright, plan here." said Will hurriedly, his gaze darting around the landscape "You go after Notch and get him someplace safe, do what you have to do and all that, and I'll go after Shadow, see if I can't do something about this excessive power build."

I nodded at his words, making my way down the Endstone hill as fast as I was able without falling. Below me, I could see Notch's still form, his slow breathing matching the flickers of power I could feel running though my necklace.

Jumping the last distance to the bottom of the hill, I ran to Notch, having enough awareness reserved to keep a shield spell at the ready to throw up behind me, just in case Shadow was to try anything. As I drew closer, I saw that Notch was not unconscious as I had previously thought from how still he was. Rather, he seemed almost to be having a kind of panic attack, his breathing labored as he stared down at the Endstone ground with a wild, terrified eyes. I spared a glance over my as I hurried along, yes widening as I saw just how much power Shadow had build up around himself, dark wisps of magic floating around him in a purple and black haze. His normally green eyes had taken on a purple tinge, but whether it was from the magic he was doing or some internal thing with the one he was bonded to, I could not tell. Whatever it was was not so important as why he had stopped his spell casting. Surely this was enough power for whatever it was that he had been doing. As I pondered this, Will had made his way over to Shadow, stopping only a few paces from the other lord. Presuming that he had things under control, I turned my attention back to Notch.

**Will's POV**

As I approached Shadow, I was struck by how utterly... conflicted, the concentrations of aura around him were. When I had encountered Shadow before, his aura had usually been quite together, the lines between his aura and his bonded lord Illusion well defined and linking clearly. Here though, their bonds were thrown together chaotically, surging back and forth as if a part of some power struggle. His power only seemed to grow more concentrated as the turmoil continued, though whatever spell he had been in the process of casting progressed no further.

_This is going to be interesting._ I thought, drawing closer. I suspected that as a part of this, I was going to end up having to do some serious order based damage control and mediation, something I was not looking forward to, in any way. Chaos way my thing, not order stuff, and that was on the best of days. Now, I was barely staying together after my teleport run in with Texolauren's influence in the Aether, and I had no idea what I would be able to do here. But I had promised Destiny that I would keep Jeb safe, which by extension meant keeping Notch safe because of how close they were.

Stepping up to stand directly in front of Shadow, I noted how unfocused his gaze was. He did not seem to react in any way to my presence, something that was somewhat concerning. What was happening in his head that would leave him in this state?

Closing my eyes, I hesitantly slipped into the magic plane, feeling, though weaker here, the distant touch of Texolauren's power. There was also a considerable level of Void's influence here, the cold power tinting the area like new frost. It wasn't terribly surprising, considering that the End was above the Void, Void's realm, but it still was something to note. Carefully I touched my aura against the outer edge of Shadow's aura, an almost electric feeling of pent up energy running through me at the contact. Probing further, I found that no barriers stood in my way, the few remnants of defenses I could see having been broken from within.

After several minutes of careful maneuvering, painstaking movements to ensure that I was not doing Shadow any harm, I beheld the eye of the storm. Two figures faced each other, one clearly an Enderlord, their silhouette lined in purple energy, the other seemingly less shifted, as if they had not fully accepted their transformation. They were lined in green power, the same blazing green of Shadow's eyes.

_Interesting._ I thought as I drew closer to the pair of them, allowing my aura to show my half-shifted form. _So this is an internal struggle. But what was the cause of it? Well, I guess there is only one way to find out._

Willing myself forward, I allowed a trickle of power to reach out towards them, directly between the two of them so that no matter what they were involved in, they would be forced to acknowledge my presence. They turned as one, bright eyes regarding me with an air of confusion and disdain.

"Why are you here?" The green ringed one, Shadow, asked. "Our business is our own, and I do not recall asking you to intervene."

"Says the one who is trying to imprison their brother with addictive potions." snapped Illusion, the purple ringed figure.

"You're doing what?" I asked, aghast. No wonder Notch was in the state he was in if what Illusion said was true and he had to deal with this on a fairly regular basis.

"Illusion, we did not ask him to interfere. I did not ask _you_ to interfere either." Shadow snapped, a flickering wave of rage filled power flowing outwards, away from him.

_The power surges, all the build up around them, it must be from this conflict of __theirs._ I thought, watching the two of them bicker. _Now, how to deal with this. I've got to figure out something fast if I'm going to avoid any complications. Who knows what might happen if the concentration of power around here gets too high._ With this thought, I prepared to throw myself into the thick of things, for surely nothing that could distance these two quite so drastically was something that could be sorted out quickly and efficiently.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, please consider leaving a review, I really enjoy hearing from you all. Any questions for me or the characters can also be left in a review or PM'ed to me. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D**


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